spacetoday.net: Shuttle launch delayed until Tuesday, ISS EVA on Monday

Posted: Fri, Nov 30, 2001, 9:29 PM ET (0229 GMT)
STS-108 patch

The launch of the space shuttle Endeavour has been delayed until Tuesday, after an EVA on Monday by two members of the ISS crew to secure a Progress spacecraft docked to the station. The launch of Endeavour on mission STS-108, originally scheduled for Thursday, was delayed until Friday, and then delayed again after mission managers decided to wait until the Progress spacecraft, which arrived at the station on Wednesday but failed to "hard dock" with the station, is securely attached. This will require a contingency EVA by ISS cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Turin on Monday. The two will remove an obstruction, believed to be a cable, from the docking port, which should allow the Progress to mate securely with the station. Once the Progress is secured, NASA is likely to give the go-ahead for the shuttle mission. Flight regulations require that the Progress be secured before the shuttle docks, to prevent vibrations from the shuttle docking from jarring the Progress loose or otherwise damaging the station. If the Progress problem is solved, the shuttle will launch at 5:45 pm EST (2245 GMT) Tuesday.