NASA delays next shuttle mission at least 4 days

William Atkins
Saturday, 13 June 2009 18:43

Science - Space

Because of a leaky hydrogen vent system, NASA mission managers were forced to postpone the liftoff of space shuttle Endeavour and its STS-127 crew.


The external tank hydrogen vent system is located outside of the external fuel tank (ET). The line carries (“vents”) excess gaseous hydrogen away from the launch pad.

According to the June 13, 2009 NASA media brief NASA postpones launch of space shuttle Endeavour, “Managers scrubbed the launch for at least 96 hours.” The launch was scheduled to take place on Saturday, June 13, 2009.

Mission managers will meet on Sunday, June 14 to discuss repair options and future launch opportunities.

The 2:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) meeting will be followed with a news conference that will be presented on NASA Television (check your local TV listing) and on the Web at NASA TV.

The NASA mission managers did say that the launch will not occur before June 17. However, they also stated that a conflict already exists for that day.

Specifically, the LRO/LCROSS mission of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Spacecraft (LCROSS) is scheduled to launch on that day.

The LRO is a robotic spacecraft designed to orbit the Moon. The LCROSS is designed to detect water expelled off the Moon after the upper stage of the launch vehicle is intentionally flown into a lunar crater.

Page two continues with more information on LRO/LCROSS, STS-127, and Expedition 20.