The problem, which only shows up when supercold cryogenic propellants are flowing, was virtually identical to a leak in March that grounded the shuttle Discovery for four days. As Endeavour's tank was being topped off, sensors indicated higher-than-allowable levels of gaseous hydrogen at the ground umbilical plate, or GUP, that connects the vent line to the side of the shuttle's external tank. As the hydrogen section of the tank fills up, some of the liquid turns into a gas that is carried away by a vent line. In the meantime, shuttle engineers will press ahead with troubleshooting to figure out what went wrong during fueling.Įngineers began the three-hour fueling process at 9:52 p.m. We'll start those negotiations tomorrow and see where we get, both with the Range and with the NASA payload." "Obviously, the 17th is a range problem, there's a conflict out there with LRO/LCROSS," said Mike Moses, shuttle integration manager at the Kennedy Space Center. Mission managers plan to meet later this weekend to discuss troubleshooting and to assess their options, including negotiations with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter project and the Air Force Eastern Range that provides telemetry and tracking support for all rockets launched from Florida. The file image shows the launch pad's gaseous hydrogen vent arm that connects the pad tower to the shuttle's tank. But because of the already planned launch of NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter satellite Wednesday, the shuttle team could be delayed to June 20, the last day this month Endeavour can be launched. Launch of the shuttle Endeavour, grounded by a gaseous hydrogen leak during fueling Saturday, is off until Wednesday at the earliest, NASA officials say. STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION Space shuttle Endeavour launch postponed by leak The seven astronauts launching on Endeavour meet the press in the traditional pre-flight news conference.
The lead spacewalk officer provides indepth explanations of the EVAs on Endeavour's assembly mission to the station.
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In advance of shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 mission to the station, managers from both programs discuss the flight.Ī detailed step-by-step preview of Endeavour's STS-125 mission to install an external exposure platform on the station's Kibo science facility.
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