Leak threatens Oct. 23 launch

A leaking hydraulic seal in Discovery's right-hand landing gear strut could delay next week's roll out to the launch pad and, potentially, the Oct. 23 launch.

"You have to take the wheels, the brakes and the tires off to get to this," said NASA spokesman George Diller. "We're looking at the schedule impacts, but this has got some potential in terms of (delaying) roll over, roll out (to the launch pad) and, maybe, the (Oct. 23) launch too."

Roll over to the Vehicle Assembly Building was scheduled for Wednesday, and roll out to the launch pad was scheduled for Sept. 27, said Diller.

Discovery is scheduled to launch Oct. 23 on a construction mission to the International Space Station. It will deliver the Harmony module, which will serve as a node to connect other laboratories and expand the station. During five spacewalks, astronauts will also relocate the massive P-6 truss and test tile repair techniques.

Technicians began dismantling the leaking landing gear today.

"They're still not sure which seals are leaking. It's in the lower part," said Diller. "They're going to be getting to that today.

"When we've seen this before, we've been able to cycle the gear and it takes care of itself or it gets down to a leak rate that's well within specifications, and that didn't happen."

The launch schedule has five contingency days, one in the VAB and four at the launch pad. It's unlikely the repairs can be completed in time to prevent delays, said Diller.

"It doesn't appear it's going to be without some kind of impact," he added.