spacetoday.net: Shuttle antenna bolts replaced

Posted: Mon, Aug 21, 2006, 8:17 PM ET (0017 GMT)

NASA shuttle managers said that a weekend repair task on the shuttle Atlantis was a success, keeping the mission on track for a launch this Sunday. Over the weekend technicians replaced several bolts used to attach a Ku-band antenna to the shuttle's cargo bay. The replacement was warranted after engineers determined that some of the bolts were too short, running the risk of the antenna coming loose during launch and damaging the orbiter. Technicians found that the antenna was securely anchored with the old bolts, but decided to go ahead and replace the bolts with longer ones as a precaution. The successful repair keeps the STS-115 mission on schedule for launch on Sunday August 27 at 4:30 pm EDT (2030 GMT).