Topic: Will Discovery Be 'Go for Launch' or Forced to Roll Back?

[sam]

Over the weekend, NASA engineers will conduct additional tests to determine if Discovery can launch "as is" or have to be rolled back for repairs — which would mean a three-month delay for the STS-131 mission. Helium regulator assemblies downstream from a failed isolation valve in the shuttle's right rear maneuvering engine pod must work perfectly to provide a system redundancy that would justify proceeding with the flight. If the valve needs to be repaired or replaced, neither can be done at the launchpad – meaning Discovery would have to be rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, de-mated from the SRBs and external tank, and sent to the Orbiter Processing Facility for repairs. But if the regulators check out, and no other problems arise, mission managers could give the 'go' to launch Discovery as is on April 5, 2010

http://www.universetoday.com/2010/03/19/will-discovery-be-go-for-launch-or-forced-to-roll-back/

[Clive]

What wimps astronauts are these days!  Back in the 80's they would have still launched the Shuttle even if the rocket caught fire on the launch pad.   

[sam]

and they would have been high as a kite too.

[Clive]

Yes of course!