Live At KSC: Shuttle Fuel Cell Issue Crops Up

LIVE IMAGES: The images above are from live video feeds in the Launch Complex 39 area at Kennedy Space Center. They will automatically refresh to the most up-to-the-minute image every 30 seconds.

NASA mission managers will convene in the Launch Control Center at Kennedy Space Center today to discuss a shuttle fuel cell issue that cropped up overnight but is not at this time expected to be a showstopper.

Endeavour and seven astronauts remain scheduled to blast off from launch pad 39A at KSC at 6:03 p.m. and the weather forecast is favorable. Meteorologists say there is a 60 percent chance conditions will be acceptable for launch.

NASA flight controllers at the Mission Control Center in Houston noted power fluctuations in one of the shuttle's three fuel cells, which combine liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to generate electricity to run spaceship systems during flight.

Engineers were concerned that the fuel cell would consume the chemical reactants at a higher rate that intended, forcing NASA to cut short the shuttle's planned 16-day mission -- the longest station assembly flight to date.

A new system that transfers power from the station to a docked shuttle enables NASA to lengthen the amount of time an orbiter can remain at the outpost. The system essentially allows the fuel cells to operate at lower levels. But higher-than-expected consumption of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen effectively could leave the shuttle without enough power to complete its mission as planned.

Mission Control requested overnight testing on Fuel Cell No. 3, and the preliminary indications are that the unit is "a stable platform operating within limits." More extensive analyses has been ongoing today, and NASA's Mission Management Team will convene in Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at 2:30 p.m. today to review the latest analyses. The suspect fuel cell is expected to be cleared for flight at that time.

You can watch live coverage of the ongoin countdown and launch right here in The Flame Trench. Simply click the NASA TV box on the right side of this page to launch our NASA TV viewer, and be sure to refresh this page for periodic updates.

We'll also have live coverage from the rooftop of our Florida Today blockhouse starting at 5 p.m. The coverage will be broadcast out on our home page at www.floridatoday.com.