WIKIARCHIVES.SPACE

Dozens of storks are roused from the ground near the Vehicle Assembly Building after the Space Shuttle Atlantis has moved out. The Shuttle has been in the VAB undergoing tests on the solid rocket booster cables. A prior extensive evaluation of NASA’s SRB cable inventory on the shelf revealed conductor damage in four (of about 200) cables. Shuttle managers decided to prove the integrity of the system tunnel cables already on Atlantis, causing return of the Shuttle to the VAB a week ago. The Shuttle rolled back to Launch Pad 39A to get ready for launch on Feb. 7 at 6:11 p.m. EST.