 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Storm could halt Endeavour launch: NASA
Cape Canaveral, Florida (AFP) July 12, 2009 A storm system forming around 36 kilometers (22.4 miles) away from the space shuttle Endeavour's launch pad could force the cancellation of the launch Sunday, a NASA official said. "A storm coming from the northwest could be an issue for an emergency return of the shuttle," said Mike Curie, an official commentator for NASA television. "For the time being, it's a no-go for a launch," he said. A final decision on takeoff was to be made about 10 minutes before the launch time, after meetings with the launch director. The takeoff was scheduled for 7:13 pm (2313 GMT) and NASA television showed the shuttle's seven-person crew continuing to prepare for the launch, which has already been delayed three times. The launch scheduled for Sunday was pushed back from Saturday after a lightning storm forced NASA to postpone takeoff while engineers checked for damage to the shuttle. Two previous launch attempts were scuttled by potentially hazardous fuel leaks, apparently caused by a misaligned plate linking a hydrogen gas vent line with the external fuel tank. NASA said repair work fixed that problem, and the Endeavour's tanks were filled earlier Sunday with some two million liters (half a million gallons) of low-temperature liquid hydrogen without incident. NASA's weather's service is hoping that the sea breeze will push the storm system away from the launch area ahead of takeoff, which has happened on previous occasions. Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links Shuttle at NASA Watch NASA TV via Space.TV Space Shuttle News at Space-Travel.Com
NASA to try to launch Endeavour SundayCape Canaveral, Florida (AFP) July 12, 2009 The US space agency will make another attempt Sunday to launch the space shuttle Endeavour after a dramatic lightning storm forced it to postpone the flight in the latest blow to the seven-astronaut mission. With just nine hours to go before liftoff, NASA said the launch would be scrapped, citing 11 lightning strikes near the Cape Canaveral launch site during a powerful electrical storm late ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook