Home
Business
Metro
Nation
World
Sports
Feature
Opinion
View more »Opinion Columns
Wan LixinOpinion deputy editor of Shanghai Daily
China shows pledge to globalization and free trade by embracing reform and opening-up
Forum addresses further reform and opening-up
Sunday
- Subscribe
Related News
Repaired space shuttle ready for launch try today
Source: Agencies |
March 15, 2009, Sunday
|
Online Edition
Online Edition
NASA will try again today to launch space shuttle Discovery on a construction mission to the International Space Station after fixing a fuel leak that triggered a delay last week.
Blastoff is set for 7:43pm (2343 GMT) from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Engineers installed new seals in a fuel vent line, hoping that will solve the problem that postponed NASA's first launch attempt on Wednesday when hydrogen gas leaked from the shuttle's fuel tank, posing a fire hazard.
Technicians were unable to find the exact cause of the leak.
"I was a little surprised that we didn't find something more obvious because it was a healthy leak," shuttle launch director Mike Leinbach told reporters yesterday.
Still, if the shuttle does not leak when it is fueled for flight today, it will be safe to fly, he added.
NASA plans to start filling the shuttle's tank with 500,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen at about 10:30am (1430 GMT) today.
NASA has until Tuesday to launch the shuttle or face a delay until April 7 to avoid a schedule conflict with a Russia-led Soyuz mission to replace the station's prime crew.
Discovery will be carrying the fourth and final solar power module for the US part of the station, a US$100 billion project of 16 nations. The crew includes Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, who will be left behind to serve as a station flight engineer and the first Japanese to live on the outpost.
Blastoff is set for 7:43pm (2343 GMT) from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Engineers installed new seals in a fuel vent line, hoping that will solve the problem that postponed NASA's first launch attempt on Wednesday when hydrogen gas leaked from the shuttle's fuel tank, posing a fire hazard.
Technicians were unable to find the exact cause of the leak.
"I was a little surprised that we didn't find something more obvious because it was a healthy leak," shuttle launch director Mike Leinbach told reporters yesterday.
Still, if the shuttle does not leak when it is fueled for flight today, it will be safe to fly, he added.
NASA plans to start filling the shuttle's tank with 500,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen at about 10:30am (1430 GMT) today.
NASA has until Tuesday to launch the shuttle or face a delay until April 7 to avoid a schedule conflict with a Russia-led Soyuz mission to replace the station's prime crew.
Discovery will be carrying the fourth and final solar power module for the US part of the station, a US$100 billion project of 16 nations. The crew includes Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, who will be left behind to serve as a station flight engineer and the first Japanese to live on the outpost.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
