Ford School gets more bad news from NASA

LYNN-In August it was a potential hurricane that prevented Ford K-8 students from chatting with Astronaut Barbara Morgan on board the Space Shuttle Endeavor. Now, a faulty cut-off sensor on the Space Shuttle Atlantis appears to have altered the school’s plans again, delaying a question-and-answer session with astronauts on the International Space Station.Students were scheduled to link up with the astronauts Jan. 9, as part of the NASA Explorer School Program. The crew was scheduled to be on the space station for the interview, but that downlink is now in flux as the federal space organization is admittedly at a loss as to when the shuttle will launch.In an email to Ford Principal Claire Crane Wednesday, NASA officials informed the school that the Jan. 9 communication would most likely be scrapped if they cannot get the shuttle in the air soon. The delays have even caused the cancellation of an informative teleconference between NASA and the school discussing the incident, originally scheduled for Wednesday.NASA offered a potential make up date if the launch is delayed further, June 9, but Crane said ultimately, no one really knows what is going on.”What we can do from here is just be ready with our questions for the crew,” she said. “A good way to put it is that it is completely up in the air. Either way, I’m sure we will do it eventually.”Atlantis was scheduled to launch Dec. 6, but a cut-off sensor designed to gauge the fuel level of the external liquid hydrogen tank failed, preventing the initial launch. Thinking they had the problem fixed, NASA again attempted a launch Dec. 9, but the gauge again failed, grounding the shuttle indefinitely.Launch teams are draining the fuel from the external tank so that NASA can perform troubleshooting tests, meaning that Atlantis will launch no earlier than Jan. 2, most likely even later.The sensors, which are much like the fuel gauge in an automobile, must perform flawlessly for the mission to continue. As the shuttle travels out of the atmosphere, the sensors monitor the amount of liquid hydrogen in the external tank and automatically shut off the engines when the tank is empty.If the sensors are not working properly, the engine could shut down too soon, forcing a risky emergency landing.The plan for the 11-day mission was to install the European addition to the space station, a 23-foot-long laboratory module named “Columbus.” The lab, which has been in the works for over 25 years, is considered a huge milestone for the space station, according to published NASA reports.In August, Ford students were supposed to link up with Morgan, a former teacher, on Endeavor but the threat of Hurricane Dean forced the crew to cancel the transmission and begin preparing for an early return home.While the students were able to speak to astronauts on the ground from the NASA command center in Houston, it was clearly not the same as speaking to someone orbiting the earth in a space shuttle.Adding insult to injury, Morgan and her crew were able to link up with students in Saskatchewan and Virginia in the following days while the shuttle was returning home.