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| Shuttle Discovery still sits on the launch
pad of the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the United
States July 13, 2005. NASA called off the planned launch of Shuttle
Discovery on Wednesday due to a faulty fuel gauge on the external tank,
barely 3 hours before the countdown. NASA's Return to Flight Mission, the
first Shuttle mission since the Columbia's tragedy on Feb.1 2003, was
previously scheduled for 3:51 p.m. (local time) July 13. (Xinhua
photo) |
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The photo grabbed from live TV
program shows the crew who had boarded the Shuttle Discovery got off at
the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the United States
July 13, 2005.(Xinhua photo) |
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|
Shuttle Discovery still sits on
the launch pad of the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the
United States July 13, 2005.(Xinhua
photo) |
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| People read a report about the faulty
sensor location of Shuttle Discovery at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape
Canaveral, Florida, the United States July 13, 2005. (Xinhua
photo) |
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| Officials of NASA attend a press conference on July 13, 2005,called to discuss the scrubbed launch of the space shuttle Discovery at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the United States. The launch was scrubbed because of a faulty fuel gauge. (Xinhua Photo) |
CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA, the United States, July 13 (Xinhuanet) --NASA said Wednesday the launch of Discovery would be postponed for at least two days to allow for a solution to the problem that a sensor indicating the level of liquid hydrogen fuel in the external fuel tank failed to work properly.
NASA engineers have done a lot of work but what caused the problem at
this stage remains unknown and engineers cannot understand the sensor failure
normally, Wayne Hale, deputy manager of NASA's space shuttle program, told a
news conference about two and a half hours after NASA announcing it has decided
to quit the launch that was scheduled for 3:51 p.m. EDT (1951 GMT).
NASA has decided that "that's the very best scenario" that NASA would
not in any conceivable way perform the launch before Saturday, said Hale.
The launch window runs until July 31. The problem was found during
the routine pre-launch check, said Hale, who also leads there turn-to-flight
mission management team. It was then around 1:15 p.m., and NASA officials held a
long discussion before deciding to quit the launch.
The low fuel warning sensor failed to give back readings to the
computer in the check. As a rule, the four sensors for liquid hydrogen installed
at the bottom of the tank have to work all properly for the liftoff.
Low run of hydrogen fuel may seriously harm the engines, endangering
the flight, according to Hale. A similar problem with one sensor had occurred in
the first tanking test in last April, but the problem disappeared in the second
test in May. However, Hale noted that Discovery had later replaced with a new
tank.
The unexpected event gives a setback in NASA's return-to-flight
effort. NASA has made many major safety improvements over the past two and a
half years at the recommendation by the Columbia accident investigation board.
NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said Tuesday NASA has done
everything it needs to do to ensure a safe flight. He said a safe flight is
"utterly crucial" for NASA, for the nation, and for the US space program.
NASA's shuttle fleet, which is currently consisting of Discovery,
Atlantis and Endeavor, has been grounded since the Columbia midair
disintegration in Feb. 2003, in which all seven astronauts aboard were killed.
Enditem
Related: Technical problem forces delay of
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