From: utzoo!decvax!duke!harpo!npois!alice!sjb Newsgroups: net.columbia Title: Mock Lift Off Article-I.D.: alice.604 Posted: Sat May 29 22:08:36 1982 Received: Sun May 30 02:47:34 1982 The space shuttle Columbia underwent a mock mission today, 4.5 hours late. Scheduled to begin at 1100 EDT, the countdown finished and the Columbia 'lifted off' at 1520 EDT; nevertheless, the mission was a success, and things are still on schedule for 27 June. Three problems were encountered: 1) A computer tried to read the hydraulic pressure inside the orbiter, but the hydraulics had not been turned on. 2) A computer simultaneously told the shuttle to open and close cargo bay vents. 3) A tracking station interrupted signals, which would have prevented the reception of data during a real flight.