The Wed, Nov. 3, shuttle release did not happen as plan. More issues were found besides the fuel drip that initially delayed the Discovery release. The shuttle will not launch until at the least November 30. It is not the first delay for a launch this year, though. This is the swan song of the shuttle Discovery, which could be mothballed after this mission. Article source – Space shuttle launch delayed until after Thanksgiving by Personal Money Store.
Delaying shuttle launch because of gas leak
The International Space Station was expected to view the shuttle Discovery Wednesday November 3 with a launch. NASA engineers found a leak in the fuel tank of hydrogen gas though, reports Fox News, causing a delay. This came after a delay until Friday, Nov. 5, due to bad weather. A gaseous hydrogen comes off of liquid hydrogen because maintaining the temperature of liquid hydrogen of 450 degrees Fahrenheit below zero is nearly impossible to do. Liquid hydrogen is what NASA uses for gas. The Discovery launch had been initially delayed for several days, but NASA engineers and technicians believe the problem to be too deep seated for a quick fix. The "tanking" procedure, where the fuel tank is filled with liquid hydrogen and oxygen, is when the leak had been found.
Discovery for the last time
There will be two more launches for the shuttles to go via. Two more space Shuttle flights are scheduled. This means the program won't be over for just a little longer. The Discovery orbiter which has been a shuttle longer than any other, will be going on its last flight with the Discovery launch. The last flight of the space shuttle program can be a launch of the shuttle Endeavour. The missions will be going to the International Space Station. This is the plan for both space stations.
Thanksgiving will come before the launch now
The proposed date of the next NASA launch is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 30. The reason why the leak occurred is still being determined, and NASA does not want to send a shuttle into space without knowing for sure. Because the shuttle Columbia exploded, George W. Bush stopped the shuttle program.
Citations
Fox News
foxnews.com/scitech/2010/11/05/fuel-leak-delays-launch-space-shuttle-discovery/
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