Oxygen leak postpones shuttle launch
Posted: Mon, Nov 11, 2002, 8:33 AM ET (1333 GMT)
An oxygen leak discovered only a few hours before launch will delay the flight of the space shuttle Endeavour by at least a week. Late Sunday afternoon engineers discovered a leak in one of two lines that transfer oxygen into the crew cabin. Although one line would likely supply enough oxygen for the crew, concerns that the leak could grow worse forced managers to scrub the launch a little over three hours before the 12:58 am EST (0058 GMT) launch, just as the crew was beginning to board the shuttle. Because the leak is located in plumbing under the payload bay, it will take several days for technicians to access and repair the leak, so NASA has pushed back the launch until Monday, November 18, between 7 and 11 pm EST (0000 and 0400 GMT Tuesday, November 19). Officials cautioned that the delay could be longer if the leak takes longer to reach. A launch on November 18 would set up a landing in Florida on Friday, November 29, the day after Thanksgiving.
An oxygen leak discovered only a few hours before launch will delay the flight of the space shuttle Endeavour by at least a week. Late Sunday afternoon engineers discovered a leak in one of two lines that transfer oxygen into the crew cabin. Although one line would likely supply enough oxygen for the crew, concerns that the leak could grow worse forced managers to scrub the launch a little over three hours before the 12:58 am EST (0058 GMT) launch, just as the crew was beginning to board the shuttle. Because the leak is located in plumbing under the payload bay, it will take several days for technicians to access and repair the leak, so NASA has pushed back the launch until Monday, November 18, between 7 and 11 pm EST (0000 and 0400 GMT Tuesday, November 19). Officials cautioned that the delay could be longer if the leak takes longer to reach. A launch on November 18 would set up a landing in Florida on Friday, November 29, the day after Thanksgiving.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, March 22
Isar Aerospace secures first active debris removal mission with Astroscale
Isar Aerospace — 5:50 pm ET (2150 GMT) Voyager Awarded Multi-Million-Dollar NASA Contract
Voyager Space — 5:44 pm ET (2144 GMT) What 'Project Hail Mary' gets right about microbes
Michigan State Univ. — 5:43 pm ET (2143 GMT) BlackSky wins seven-figure Assured extension contract with international customer
Black Sky — 5:42 pm ET (2142 GMT) Extremely Rare Second-Generation Star Discovered Inside Ancient Relic Dwarf Galaxy
National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory — 5:42 pm ET (2142 GMT) |
