The Space Shuttle Atlantis is due to be launched to the International Space Station (ISS) on 8 September. The launch comes as the US General Accounting Office (GAO) warns that NASA workforce cuts are jeopardising the space agency's ability to support the Space Shuttle schedule.
The seven-man crew of the Atlantis mission will unload a Russian Progress M supply tanker docked to the ISS, outfit the recently-docked Russian Zvezda module, and prepare for the arrival of the first Expedition Crew in early November.
STS 106 will be followed on 5 October by STS 92 Discovery, which will deliver control moment gyros, an adapter, and the first piece of truss framework.
The GAO report points out that in 1995 the NASA workforce was reduced from about 3,000 to 1,800 and is showing signs of "overwork and fatigue". About 20 Shuttle missions will be launched over the next two years.
NASA is spending $1.6 billion to 2005 on Shuttle upgrades, but workforce concerns remain, says the report. The Lockheed Martin-Boeing United Space Alliance, which operates the shuttle fleet for NASA, says it has hired 250 additional staff.
Source: Flight International
