NASA will return the space shuttle Atlantis to the hangar for repairs following a hailstorm that hit it on Monday

The director of the shuttle program said that these are complex repairs and that the shuttle will not be launched before the end of April 

Hail impact marks on the outer fuel tank of the shuttle Atlantis, 27/2/07. Photo: NASA

 NASA officials announced today (tonight at a quarter past midnight Israel time) that the space shuttle Atlantis will be moved back to the shuttle assembly center for repairs following a lightning storm that hit it on Monday.

"This is the largest hail damage ever to the foam on the external fuel tank," says Wayne Hale, shuttle program manager. According to him, it is necessary to carry out repairs in several areas that are not accessible from the launch pad.

The shuttle's journey back to the assembly center will begin at the end of this week or early next week. The transfer will give the technicians a chance to examine the shuttle in depth and look for damage and assess what it will take to repair it.

"It will take a month before we can talk about returning to launch mode," Hale said, referring to the schedule for carrying out the repairs and the requirements of the space station. The next launch window is expected to open only at the end of April and continue until the second half of May.

A strong thunderstorm accompanied by hail passed through the Kennedy Space Center's launch pad complex on Monday (26/2/07) around five in the evening local time (midnight Israel time). The remotely operated cameras showed damage to the external fuel tank, but a full assessment of the damage is at the beginning due to the closing of the launch pad for the purpose of filling the shuttle's fuel tanks. 

Before each mission, an assessment is carried out at the level of senior NASA officials, the shuttle program managers, engineers and personnel of the franchise companies about weeks before the opening of the launch window. They examine the readiness of the shuttle, crew and cargo to determine if the process for launch can begin.

More details about the planned mission STS-117 (see link in the category "Among the scientists")