THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 13, 1995 TAG: 9508130632
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JAMES SCHULTZ AND KAREN JOLLY DAVIS, STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: WALLOPS ISLAND LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
The Conestoga rocket launch was scrubbed for the fourth time Saturday after officials decided high-altitude winds could have interfered with the mission.
``Nature does things,'' said Jim Hengle, vice president of rocket manufacturer EER Systems Inc. ``Last night, the jet stream slipped south. We would have to fly through a 60 knot (69 mph) wind. I decided the smart thing to do was stand down.'' Hengle said the rocket is designed to overcome winds up to 45 knots.
EER officials and NASA engineers plan to try again today. The launch is scheduled for between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sunday. For mission updates and directions to public viewing areas, call the NASA Wallops status line at 824-2050.
A grim-faced Jai N. Gupta, EER president and CEO, said launch delays may cost his company as much as $50,000 a day, an expense not easily absorbed by his 500-employee firm.
``Our pockets are not very deep at all,'' Gupta said. ``It's a big expense: all the range costs, the employees, the logistics. Everything is ready to go (but) nobody can predict the weather.''
Word of Saturday's cancellation disappointed the crowd gathered at nearby Wishart's Point, where space aficionados gathered from Maryland and Virginia to get a glimpse of the launch. But many said they'd be back today.
``It's a rocket,'' said Felix Gabriel of Virginia Beach. ``I wanted to see the shuttle, but that's a long drive, and you can't rely on that either.''
Philip Feliciano of Silver Spring, Md., had been tracking the launch for a month. ``I expected that this might happen,'' he said. ``It's normal for an orbital launch.''
Officials said another factor in the postponement was deteriorating weather near NASA's tracking station on Bermuda, a facility that is counted on to follow the Conestoga's flight to orbit. The station lies in an area that may be affected by Hurricane Felix, Hengle said.
Throughout the day, engineers released weather balloons to check upper-atmosphere wind conditions, hoping the upper-air flows would abate in time for the announced 6:20 evening launch. But the instruments showed no changes, so the decision to scrub was announced about 4 p.m.
But should the flight be scrubbed once more, engineers will be forced to remove several of the time- and temperature-sensitive experiments among the 14 now secured in the rocket's nose cone. In the past, such removal has been a laborious process.
The situation could be further complicated by the growth and path of Hurricane Felix. Should the storm threaten the eastern seaboard, Conestoga's blastoff could be delayed indefinitely.
``I'm not frustrated,'' Hengle declared late Saturday. ``I'm happy with my vehicle at the moment. I fully intend to be out of here tomorrow afternoon.'' by CNB