SUBMITTED BY ARTHUR N10RC - AMSAT A/C #31468

*NASA Managers Assess Shuttle Repair Work*

Image above: Atlantis sits inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, while repair work continues on the external tank. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller + View High-res Image http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/170421main_07pd0645.jpe + View Hail Damage to External Tank http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/multimedia/117_gallery-hail.html

TO VIEW IMAGE AND DAMAGE GO TO: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html *

03.21.07 - 8:30 p.m. EDT* During a media teleconference Wednesday, March 21, NASA officials discussed the status of repair work to Space Shuttle Atlantis' external fuel tank, which was damaged during a Feb. 26 hail storm at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. The teleconference followed a meeting to assess the ongoing work. Managers decided that more testing and analysis are needed to determine whether the tank will be used for the upcoming STS-117 flight or whether the tank will be replaced. On April 10, the teams expect to have the necessary data to make that decision and to establish a potential target launch date.

All the hail damage spots on the tank have been mapped out. Repair work has been completed on the bottom portion of the tank, the liquid hydrogen section. The damage on the middle part of the tank, or innertank, was superficial and will require little or no repair. There are 2,500 dings, mostly in the top of the tank, that will be reviewed to determine what type of repair technique may be required.

During the STS-117's 11-day mission, the six-member crew will install a new truss segment, retract a set of solar arrays and unfold a new set on the starboard side of the station. Lessons learned from two previous missions will provide the astronauts with new techniques and tools to perform their duties.

Atlantis Commander Rick Sturckow, Pilot Lee Archambault and Mission Specialists Jim Reilly, Patrick Forrester, Steven Swanson and John "Danny" Olivas will continue training at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston as they await a new target launch date.

*STS-117 Mission* + The Crew http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts117/index.html

+ The Mission http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts117/mission_overview.html

+ The Integrated Truss Structure http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/its.html