Concern About Tank Lines Only Obstacle To Friday Launch Of Space Shuttle Atlantis

Wednesday, June 6th 2007, 1:07 pm

By: News On 6

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) _ NASA engineers were troubleshooting a possible problem Wednesday with lines connecting the external fuel tank to space shuttle Atlantis, the only remaining concern about the first shuttle flight of the year.

The countdown clock began ticking Tuesday night, and forecasters predicted a 70 percent chance the weather would be favorable for launching Atlantis at 7:38 p.m. EDT on Friday.

The only technical problem remaining for engineers was a concern that two lines that connect Atlantis to its external fuel tank may not fit correctly. The problem was found in the tank for space shuttle Endeavour, which is in a hangar being prepared for a launch in August. Those lines were being replaced.

Engineers wanted to make sure the same problem wasn't found on Atlantis' tank so there wouldn't be a chance of a hydrogen fuel leak.

``We're off looking at that right now,'' NASA test director Jeff Spaulding said. ``All the tests to date and all the leak checks have been satisfactory.''

Technicians planned to start fueling the shuttle's power cells, and the vehicle's payload doors were shut Tuesday.

``Everything is in excellent shape,'' said Robbie Ashley, the mission's payload manager.

The launch originally was set for mid-March but was postponed after a freak hail storm caused thousands of dings in the insulating foam on Atlantis' external tank. Technicians spent more than two months making painstaking repairs to the tank.

During the 11-day mission, Atlantis and its seven astronauts will deliver a new segment and a pair of solar arrays to the international space station and rotate out a crew member at the orbiting outpost.