CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Nov. 18 (UPI) -- While space shuttle engineers scramble to complete analysis of an oxygen leak and possible damage to the shuttle's robot arm, NASA managers plan to launch Endeavour Friday night, officials said Monday.
The agency, however, has opted to wait until later in the week before committing to launching the shuttle, which is scheduled for an 11-day mission to ferry a new crew to the International Space Station and install a exterior solar array truss to the outpost.
"We haven't made any decisions yet," said Kennedy Space Center spokesman Bruce Buckingham.
NASA's first launch attempt last week was called off about three hours before the scheduled liftoff due to a leaking oxygen hose. The hose was removed from the orbiter while the shuttle was on the launch pad. It is under analysis to make sure its failure is not indicative of a fleet-wide problem.
A more serious difficulty, however, was triggered during the hunt for the leak when a work platform bumped the shuttle's delicate 50-foot-long robot arm. The accident tore insulation and scratched the arm's surface.
NASA is concerned the arm might have been structurally damaged and would not be able to lift the truss segment out of the cargo bay when the shuttle reaches the station.
Buckingham told United Press International the countdown could start Tuesday evening with the arm issue still pending. A decision about whether to proceed, however, likely would come before technicians load propellants aboard the orbiter which are used to generate power for the ship's systems during space flight.
Endeavour's crew, which includes four shuttle astronauts and three men who will become the next resident crew of the space station, are scheduled to return to the Kennedy Space Center from Houston early this week.
