Leaky valve could delay shuttle mission
Posted: Sat, May 25, 2002, 3:06 AM ET (0706 GMT)
A leaking valve in a cooling system on board shuttle Endeavour could delay its launch to the International Space Station, Spaceflight Now reported late Friday. Technicians were expected to check out a water spray boiler (WSB) located in the rear of Endeavour Friday night after engineers noticed that the unit did not work as quickly as expected. A leak in one or more valves in the WSB, used to cool the shuttle's auxiliary power units, is suspected. While NASA said in the latest shuttle status report that the problem should have "no impact" on the launch schedule, Spaceflight Now noted that such repairs have not been carried out on the pad before, and that the WSB unit in question is the least accessible of the three in the shuttle. If the unit cannot be repaired on the pad, NASA could decide as early as Saturday to roll the shuttle back for repairs, delaying the launch until at least mid-June. Endeavour is currently scheduled to lift off between 4 and 8 pm EDT (2000 and 0000 GMT) May 30 on STS-111, a space station crew rotation mission.
A leaking valve in a cooling system on board shuttle Endeavour could delay its launch to the International Space Station, Spaceflight Now reported late Friday. Technicians were expected to check out a water spray boiler (WSB) located in the rear of Endeavour Friday night after engineers noticed that the unit did not work as quickly as expected. A leak in one or more valves in the WSB, used to cool the shuttle's auxiliary power units, is suspected. While NASA said in the latest shuttle status report that the problem should have "no impact" on the launch schedule, Spaceflight Now noted that such repairs have not been carried out on the pad before, and that the WSB unit in question is the least accessible of the three in the shuttle. If the unit cannot be repaired on the pad, NASA could decide as early as Saturday to roll the shuttle back for repairs, delaying the launch until at least mid-June. Endeavour is currently scheduled to lift off between 4 and 8 pm EDT (2000 and 0000 GMT) May 30 on STS-111, a space station crew rotation mission.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Thales and Airbus to build next-generation radar imaging satellites
Posted: Sat, Jun 13 10:02 AM ET (1402 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Friday, June 19
ESA names Belgian Jean-Luc Trullemans as new strategy director
Belga News Agency — 6:20 am ET (1020 GMT) SBD 1 commander visits Maui to assess infrastructure support to mission operations
US Space Force — 6:15 am ET (1015 GMT) NASA Chief Bought Millions in SpaceX-Linked Stock Before IPO, While Pushing SpaceX's Agenda
Sludge — 6:12 am ET (1012 GMT) The average SpaceX buyer post-IPO is almost under water after two-day slide
CNBC — 6:09 am ET (1009 GMT) SpaceX Bankers Prepare for Bond Sale of at Least $20 Billion
Bloomberg News — 6:08 am ET (1008 GMT) |
