spacetoday.net: Fuel cell glitch scrubs shuttle launch

Posted: Wed, Sep 6, 2006, 7:15 AM ET (1115 GMT)

Wednesday's launch of the shuttle Atlantis was scrubbed for at least a day after engineers detected a problem with one of the orbiter's fuel cells. During launch preparations overnight, engineers noticed a low voltage condition from one of the three fuel cells on the shuttle. When the problem could not be resolved by about 4 am EDT (0800 GMT), when fueling was scheduled to begin, the launch attempt was scrubbed for the day. The cause of the fuel cell problem remains under investigation, although shuttle managers hoped it was a minor problem that could be resolved later today. Fuel cells cannot be easily repaired on the pad, and the current launch window extends only to Friday, after which the next opportunity to launch the shuttle doesn't open until late October.