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Shuttle computer problem not considered serious
Landing still set for Friday -- but where?
March 7, 1996
Web posted at: 2:10 p.m. ESTFrom Correspondent John Holliman
(CNN) -- Downplaying the seriousness of a computer circuit problem on the space shuttle Columbia, NASA said weather will be the deciding factor in determining where the space shuttle lands on Friday, its scheduled landing day.
Assuming there is no further equipment failure, no decision on a landing location is expected before then.
The failure of the circuit, one of four involved in steering the shuttle during landing, is "not a big deal," according to NASA spokesman Rob Navius. (221K AIFF sound or 221K WAV sound) He said there is no problem with backup systems and the crew is not in danger.
Florida or California?
Mission Control told the seven astronauts to aim for a Friday landing as planned, either at 8:51 a.m. EST or 10:27 a.m. EST at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
But if the forecast for bad weather comes true, they can expect to go to Edwards Air Force Base in California, where landings were possible at 10:18 a.m. EST or 11:54 a.m. EST. A Saturday landing in Florida has not been ruled out, but is unlikely.
Commander Andy Allen and Pilot Scott Horowitz discovered the defective "command path" Thursday as they tested the computer that commands the steering mechanism at the rear of Columbia's left wing.
The shuttle's four command paths provide data from the steering systems to the main shuttle computers. The circuits control the wing flaps, rudder and other systems crucial for landing.
Not to worry
Allen could land with just three of these circuits, Navius said. While one failure raises the possibility the others could go, too, the NASA spokesman rejected that possibility.
"There is absolutely no concern" that the shuttle's backup systems "won't perform by the book (Friday) morning."
However, had the problem occurred earlier in the 15-day science mission, NASA said it would have meant a return to Earth as soon as possible.
A bumpy ride
Allen and his crew have had more their share of disappointments -- and scares -- during this mission.
The astronauts had to scrap their main objective -- testing a tethered satellite -- when the 12-mile electrical cable between Columbia and the satellite broke February 25. Fortunately, the cord broke near Columbia; if it had snapped closer to the satellite, the tether may have become tangled around the shuttle.
The satellite and dangling cord are expected to burn up in Earth's atmosphere in about three weeks.
During Columbia's February 22 liftoff, hot rocket gas singed two O-rings in the booster rockets, a concern to engineers but no threat to the crew. And an on-board gauge and caution light indicated one of the three main engines was malfunctioning at liftoff. It turned out to be a false alarm; all three engines were fine.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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