The countdown to Endeavour's scheduled 5:40 a.m. launch has picked up at T minus three hours, while launch managers continue to troubleshoot a gas leak that threatens to scrub the launch for a second time.
Fueling of Endeavour's external tank with liquid oxygen has stopped, and managers are analyzing data to try to understand the cause of a leak.
An umbilical line that connects to the external tank and routes excess gaseous hydrogen to a flare stack is leaking again, as it did on Saturday.
Over the past four days, technicians replaced a quick disconnect valve that joins the vent line to the external tank, and the seals on either side of it.
But the repair procedure that worked after the issue stalled Discovery's launch in March does not appear to be working this time.
No decision has been made yet about the status of the launch.
NASA TV commentators say Endeavour's crew are still preparing for launch at crew quarters in Kennedy Space Center's Operations and Checkout building.
They have received a weather briefing and are schedule to begin donning orange spacesuits soon.
1 comment:
Please let us know if scrubbed by 2
want to go to bed and not set alarm if over with countdown
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