Space shuttle launch called off for at least 72 hours

NASA scrubs launch. Sets back 48hours

www.azcentral.com

NASA scrubbed the Endeavour space shuttle launch set for Friday afternoon, citing a technical issue. The soonest the launch will take place will be 48 hours later - or Sunday afternoon Arizona time.

The launch, the second to last for the shuttle line, was anticipated by many, including thousands who were on hand at or near Cape Canaveral

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Mod Edit: Please Use Exact Headline

Technical issues? I always enjoy NASA's language. As of an hour ago we we're set to launch, then I noticed an article on Space.com about traffic jams in space. It was referring to a Russian supply module that had docked to the ISS shortly prior to the scheduled launch of Endeavor.

NASA now claims faulty heaters around one of the auxiliary power units.

Two heaters on one of Endeavour's auxiliary power units, which provide power for electrical systems on the shuttle, failed this morning, rendering the unit useless. Though Endeavour has a total of three units, NASA needs working spares of these critical systems

Source

I question whether or not this has more to do with the Russian craft and it's intentions. Seems odd to me that they would schedule something so close, yet not a peep of it in the MSM.

An unmanned Russian cargo ship arrived at the International Space Station today (April 29), just over five hours before NASA's planned launch of the shuttle Endeavour toward the same destination in orbit. The robotic Progress 42 cargo ship linked up with the space station at 10:28 a.m. EDT (1428 GMT) as the two spacecraft sailed 220 miles (354 kilometers) over western Mongolia. The cargo ship delivered more than 3 tons of supplies, equipment and other gear for the space station's six-person crew

Mystery module

Here's yet ANOTHER explanation of the scrubbed launch:

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Endeavour's launch to the International Space Station has been postponed until Sunday to give technical teams more time to evaluate lightning strikes at the launch pad that occurred during thunderstorms Friday. Liftoff is scheduled for 7:13 p.m. EDT. Sensors indicted there were 11 lightning strikes within 0.35 miles, which is inside the launch pad's threshold. Teams have seen nothing so far that indicates anything has been affected

Source

Two completely different explanations??? What's up Doc



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Well spotted ...

It says here: online.wsj.com...

Strong thunderstorms moved through the area on Thursday evening, and NASA raised the chances of unfavorable weather at launch time to 30%. Though cloud cover remained on Friday, the storms had subsided. NASA officials had said the only remaining weather concerns were low cloud cover and strong winds.

Then goes on to say, the heaters were the main reason for the delay.

reply to post by WhatAreSpinkters



Then you see this from NASA also:

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Space shuttle Endeavor's launch to the International Space Station has been postponed until Sunday to give technical teams more time to evaluate lightning strikes at the launch pad that occurred during thunderstorms Friday. Liftoff is scheduled for 7:13 p.m. EDT

That is where I start to question things. This makes me wonder if the US was even aware of the Russian "Supply" mission. Once they tracked the Russian craft, that was un-manned and remote operated, they may have been taken by surprise. This would cause them to back peddle a bit.

Maybe the lightning strikes were a preemptive reason and then the heater malfunction seemed a more feasible excuse to scratch the launch.

From what I gather, Russia is rather ticked off at us right now for playing the Middle East like we are and rightfully so...

Im just going to make an off the wall prediction just so if it actually happens I can claim to be the first to have said it.... were gonna meet ALIENS up there!

I actually posted a thread about this before you did



Endeavor Launch Canceled

well take your pick search.yahoo.com... it seem it is all coming form one place er person Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach has scrubbed today's STS-134 this leaves me to believe more NASA BS. im with the op one this one S$F for you

reply to post by EvolEric



This thread is not just about the cancellation. It has more to do with the actual reason behind it as there is conflicting information within NASA as to why it had to be scrubbed.

But HEY!!! At least Obama still made it! I hear he just landed.

reply to post by bekod


Funny how different publications in the MSM contain the exact same text.

reply to post by forall2see


This is untrue (or you misinterpret):

It has more to do with the actual reason behind it as there is conflicting information within NASA as to why it had to be scrubbed..

I was listening live to the NASA launch feed, streaming online.

The #1 APU line heater thermostat failed....there are TWO heaters total...for each APU (3 APUs in all). Without the heaters operational, the APU is essentially inoperative. Cannot be used. You simply will not launch with a known failure of that sort. Having THREE APUs total means that, in flight they is a safety redundancy, in case one (or two) should fail.....as an emergency procedure, if needed, one can allow them to de-orbit and land. A failure inflight would also likely cause a shortened mission, and early return, as well.

Space Shuttle APUs (Auxiliary Power Units)

They did not know, initially, if it was a "soft" or "hard" failure. There are procedures to trouble-shoot, and were accomplished.....with no fix, so it was determined to be "hard" (as in, a physical flaw of some sort) as opposed to merely a software/switching issue. Always, the count-down will continue (or, there are provisions for it to be put into a "hold", depending) as they sort out each glitch like this. They either find a solution, or end up having to cancel....because, they have strict guidelines about the minimum required operational equipment, to approve every flight, at launch.

There are contingencies, and contingencies, even in some cases, alternatives and work-around fixes....every situation is different.

Really.....I think people need to study and learn more about the details, and the complexities, of something like a Shuttle, in order to be better informed.....

Funny how different publications in the MSM contain the exact same text...

Really?? You can't understand the reason? I'll give you ten seconds to figure it out.....

reply to post by weedwhacker


I understand the contingency concept and thanks for the real time up-date coming from someone who was actually viewing it that early on. I was still making breakfast myself

But why the lightning strike excuse? That just seems odd to me.

And yes, I understand that the media will quote memos in reports, however their elaboration around that is what makes an interesting read.

Sometimes starting a thread is how we get better informed about subjects that intrigue us. I appreciate your contribution so far. There's no need to put people down when they're simply asking for honest information

Originally posted by AndrewJay
were gonna meet ALIENS up there!

According to some quite convincing sources, we already have ... eg. The NASA smoking gun stuff that David Sereda breaks down and analyses, amongst other footage and claims, has got me convinced

Evidence, the Case for NASA UFO

But i digress ...

FYI: If you care to dig deeper, today's launch date was a result of ORIGINAL launch date of 4/19 postponed due to Russian service craft @ ISS. (There was a thread here regarding original launch date and reason for postponement, I'm too lazy to dig it up.)

You might be warranted in your scrutiny but take it from someone who has attended quite a few launches, there are FREQUENT last minute delays often discovered during built in countdown holds while conducting all systems/telemetry checks etc.

Pauses in the countdown, or "holds," are built into the countdown to allow the launch team to target a precise launch window, and to provide a cushion of time for certain tasks and procedures without impacting the overall schedule

www.nasa.gov...


I'm not trying to sway your skepticism, just stating my experiences. Mixed messages/reasons from news media is understandable, but from NASA not so much.

I'm a TOTAL Shuttle groupie so this is of interest to me. Keep digging!

reply to post by kinda kurious


Thanks for the input. I understand how the last minute checklist can be a common time to call off a launch. After all, would ANYONE want to go into space if something about their ship was not quite right? (Millennium Falcon of course is excluded from that question) .

I'm responding via mobile right now. Once I get us home I will dig into more details. NASA gave two excuses so far that I can see. This will take some deep digging if in fact there is more to the story. The lightning strike excuse (via NASA) just rubbed me wrong....

I have a couple of questions to add. If they aren't relative feel free to have a mod delete. I heard a blip this morning (think it was on the weather channel) that this shuttle mission is taking a cosmic ray detector. Could the delay be related to correct positioning of this detector with other things being given as an excuse?

Never mind the other question - decided it was too far off topic.