A main engine computer upgrade developed by NASA will be activated during the Friday launch of space shuttle Atlantis and the STS-117 mission. Officials said the upgrade is part of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's continuing efforts to improve space shuttle safety and reliability.
The Advanced Health Management System, or AHMS, will provide new monitoring of the two most critical components of the space shuttle main engine: the high-pressure fuel turbopump and the high-pressure oxidizer turbopump.
The upgrade allows an engine to shut down during launch if vibration levels exceed safe limits. NASA scientists said.
AHMS first flew on Discovery's STS-116 mission in December with a single controller on one engine, but in monitor-only mode — meaning it collected and processed vibration data, but could not shut down the engine. AHMS will operate in active mode on one engine during the upcoming STS-117 mission and is scheduled to fly in active mode on all three engines during the STS-118 mission later this year.
NASA said AHMS is the sixth major upgrade to the space shuttle's main engines since the first shuttle flight in 1981.
