30 December 2007
Greg Johnson: Astronaut's long wait gets longer
Friday, January 04, 2008 Categories: Space
But a problem with the fuel sensor system on Space Shuttle Atlantis has delayed the STS-122 mission, and this has forced NASA to review its shuttle launch schedule, including Johnson’s flight. Atlantis was set to lift off in early December. Difficulty in troubleshooting the fuel sensor system has forced several delays, most recently a Jan. 10 launch date. On Thursday, NASA managers said the earliest Atlantis can fly is Jan. 24, and a February launch date is more likely.
Atlantis is to carry the European Space Agency’s Columbus Laboratory to the space station. Its flight may have to wait until after a Russian cargo rocket docks at the station on Feb. 9. Its launch is scheduled for Feb. 7.
NASA says it won’t announce dates for any subsequent shuttle flights until it’s set a firm launch date for Atlantis. But it takes several weeks after one shuttle mission to get ready for the next, so Johnson isn't likely to fly before March.
Even as he awaits his first space shuttle flight, Johnson has been working on the spaceship that’s to replace the space shuttle. In 2005, NASA appointed Johnson as a crew representative supporting the design and testing of the Constellation System’s Orion crew vehicle.
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