Engineers fix glitch in new European space cargo ship - by Jason Palmer
Though mission officials described Jules Verne's launch as "absolutely perfect", they noticed a glitch once the Ariane launch vehicle broke away and communications were established with the ATV. A detector noted a pressure anomaly in one of the ATV's four "propulsion chains". These are the valve and control systems between the tanks holding fuel and oxidiser and the thrusters, where they are mixed to propel the craft. There was a slight pressure difference in two pipes that separately ferry the fuel and oxidiser from the tanks to the thrusters.An electronics box that detected the pressure difference then turned off the affected chain, rerouting the propellants through the other three chains. The box then turned itself off, "just in case the anomaly is in the box itself", said ESA's ATV program manager John Ellwood at a press conference after the launch. Now, after working through the night, engineers have switched the electronics box back on. All of the ATV's systems are working perfectly.
Later on Tuesday, the ATV performed its first manoeuvres in space, using its main engines to move closer to the orbit necessary to rendezvous with the space station. Even before the glitch was fixed, mission managers emphasized that the mission was not in any jeopardy, since the ATV can propel itself using only three propulsion chains.
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