Aalice.446
net.space
utzoo!decvax!duke!harpo!npois!alice!sjb
Mon Mar 22 17:59:07 1982
Shuttle News -- LAUNCH Roundup
At 11:00:08 this morning, Columbia roared off its pad after its
smoothest countdown ever.  Though a fueling snag caused a one
hour delay, NASA was elated to launch on the day it promised,
showing customers they can do just that.  On the way up, one
APU started to overheat and was turned off.  In space, the other
two were turned off, as planned.  Officials say backed up oil or
ice may have caused the problem but hope that during the orbits,
the unit will cool and will be functional for landing.  The APU's
provide the power to steer the shuttle's wing flaps and other
aerodynamic surfaces.  It can operated fully with just two of the
three, and it can make an emergency landing with just one.