Broken Valve Prompts Second Launch Delay for Shuttle Discovery

A broken valve on the space shuttle Discovery forced NASA to call off the spacecraft's second launch attempt in a row late Tuesday as engineers troubleshoot the glitch.

Discovery was slated to blast off at 1:10 a.m. EDT (0510 GMT) Wednesday morning, but a broken fill-and-drain valve associated with the shuttle's liquid hydrogen propellant system foiled the attempted launch.

NASA engineers are discussing the malfunction, which cropped up during Discovery's fueling operations at 5:52 p.m. EDT (2122 GMT), just under seven hours before launch time. Stormy weather delayed Discovery's first launch attempt earlier today.

NASA has until Aug. 30 to launch the shuttle before standing down due to restrictions on the launch range it shares with the nearby Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Engineers are discussing how to best solve the valve malfunction and when Discovery may be ready to launch again.

NASA wants to launch Discovery by the end of August to avoid a traffic conflict with an unmanned Japanese cargo ship also due at the space station this month. If the mission is unable to launch by then, NASA can try again on Oct. 17.

Commanded by veteran shuttle flyer Rick Sturckow, Discovery's STS-128 mission is slated to fly to the International Space Station to deliver nearly 8 tons of cargo, including new science gear and a treadmill named after comedian Stephen Colbert. The 13-day mission was also planned to ferry astronaut Nicole Stott to the station to replace NASA astronaut Tim Kopra, who has lived aboard the orbiting lab since mid-July.

Set to launch aboard Discovery with Sturckow and Stott were STS-128 mission specialists Chris Patrick Forrester, Jose Hernandez, Danny Olivas and Swedish astronaut Christer Fuglesang. Fuglesang represents the European Space Agency, while the rest are NASA astronauts. Three spacewalks are planned for the mission. Read More

Check out the Shuttle Page at NASA.gov for more News

[SOURCE: SPACE.COM]