NASA rules out Monday launch attempt for Endeavour

[News_Editor]

NASA rules out Monday launch attempt for Endeavour

2011-05-02 00:04:25 GMT+7 (ICT)

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER (BNO NEWS) -- NASA has ruled out the possibility of a Monday afternoon launch attempt for the space shuttle Endeavour, which has been grounded as a result of an issue with one of its heaters.

NASA technicians have been working since Saturday afternoon and are testing various systems to determine the cause of the heater issue associated with auxiliary power unit-1 (APU-1). It earlier caused NASA to call off the Friday and Sunday launch attempts.

But NASA managers now believe a new launch attempt is unlikely to happen before the end of next week. "There are still numerous factors to be worked out," NASA said in a statement. No new date has been set.

According to preliminary test results, the problem is with a power control box, the aft load control assembly-2 (ALCA-2) in Endeavour's aft compartment. Teams are working on plans to replace the box or any faulty associated hardware, which would take at least several days.

As a result of the delay, Endeavour's six astronauts are now returning to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for a few days of additional training before they return for the next launch attempt. The crew's families will also return home on Sunday.

Endeavour's launch is followed closely for a number of reasons, including the expected attendance of Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who is still recovering from being shot in the head during an assassination attempt in January.

But it is also the last ever launch of Endeavour before its retirement, which it will spend at the California Science Center in Los Angeles. Space shuttle Atlantis will fly the last planned shuttle mission in June, after it will be displayed at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor's Complex.

The crew members for space shuttle Endeavour's STS-134 mission are Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Gregory H. Johnson and Mission Specialists Michael Fincke, Greg Chamitoff, Andrew Feustel and European Space Agency astronaut Roberto Vittori.

During the 14-day mission, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) and spare parts including two S-band communications antennas, a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for Dextre.

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