THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, August 14, 1995 TAG: 9508140141
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JAMES SCHULTZ AND KAREN JOLLY DAVIS, STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: WALLOPS ISLAND LENGTH: Short : 39 lines
Conestoga rocketeers failed again Sunday evening to send 14 experiments into space. Shortly after 8 p.m., with one minute, 38 seconds remaining on the countdown clock, the mission was scrubbed for the fifth time in two weeks.
The mission was canceled because hydraulic pressure to two of the craft's seven rocket-engine steering nozzles was lost, said Jim Hengle, a vice president with Conestoga's manufacturer, EER Systems Inc., during a press conference.
``Normally, they're very reliable engines. Frankly, we're a bit surprised,'' Hengle said.
Hengle would not say when another launch date would be set.
The launch may be delayed for several weeks, given the threat of Hurricane Felix near a key NASA tracking station in Bermuda, the laborious removal and recalibration of experiments from Conestoga's nosecone, and the difficulty of tracking down the engine defects.
``We're talking days, not hours,'' Hengle said. ``In the rocket business, there is uncertainty.''
This latest setback also may prove quite costly. On Saturday, Jai N. Gupta, EER president and CEO, said his firm may lose as much as $50,000 a day until Conestoga lifts off. It is a sum his 500-employee company can ill afford, Gupta said.
Meanwhile, more than 1,000 people in town to watch the launch, some from as far as Wisconsin and Maine, moaned when officials announced its cancellation.
``It's a disappointment, but that stuff happens,'' said Jamie Stutzman from Virginia Beach. Stutzman, who was also here for Saturday's launch cancellation, said he doubts he can return a third time. by CNB