spacetoday.net: STS-133 launch scrubbed, delayed until end of month

STS-133 launch scrubbed, delayed until end of month

Posted: Fri, Nov 5, 2010, 1:51 PM ET (1751 GMT)

NASA scrubbed Friday's scheduled launch of the space shuttle Discovery because of a hydrogen leak, making it unlikely that the mission would launch before the end of November. During fueling of the shuttle's external tank Friday morning technicians discovered a gaseous hydrogen leak at the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, equipment that also caused problems on two previous shuttle missions. With the leak exceeding allowable levels, shuttle managers scrubbed the launch, resetting the launch to no earlier than Monday. Late word is that the launch is now likely to be delayed until November 30th at the earliest, as the current launch window closes on Monday.