CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Nov. 20 (UPI) -- NASA has restarted countdown clocks for a second launch attempt of shuttle Endeavour, but the agency has not yet cleared the spaceship for liftoff due to lingering concerns about the health of its robotic arm, officials said Wednesday.
The 50-foot-long crane, which is attached to the shuttle's payload bay, was damaged last week when workers accidentally bumped it with a platform being installed in the cargo hold. The platform gave technicians access to find a leaking oxygen hose, which was why the shuttle's first launch attempt last Monday was canceled.
The leaking line has been repaired, but analysis of engineering data about the arm continues to dodge NASA, which expects to make a final decision about whether to proceed with the shuttle's second launch try on Friday or order an additional postponement, Kennedy Space Center officials said.
Complicating NASA's plans is the debut launch of Boeing's expendable Delta 4 rocket from the nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, which provides tracking, safety and support services for all launches that take place from Florida's Atlantic coast. The Delta 4 had been scheduled for launch on Tuesday, but a series of last-minute technical glitches prompted flight controllers to keep the rocket grounded. A second launch attempt is planned for Wednesday at 5:39 p.m. At least a day is needed between the Delta and shuttle launch to reconfigure range tracking and communications equipment.
The shuttle, which currently is set for liftoff between 7 and 11 p.m. on Friday, is scheduled to spend a week at the International Space Station to install a new truss segment and taxi home the current station crew.
