Hydrogen Leak Scrubs STS-127 Launch

17 Jun 2009 0

Space shuttle Endeavour's STS-127 launch today was officially scrubbed at 1:55 a.m. EDT when the same type of gaseous hydrogen leak was detected at the Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate, or GUCP. This is the same location where a similar leak resulted in a launch scrub on June 13.

This close-up image reveals the Ground Umbilical Carrier Panel area on space shuttle Endeavour's external fuel tank. Image credit: NASA TV

"We're going to step back and figure out what the problem is and go fix it," said Deputy Space Shuttle Program Manager LeRoy Cain during a briefing afterward. "Once we get it fixed and we're confident that we have a solution that's going to work and allow us to go fly safely, then we'll proceed forward."

Teams followed the same repair method as they did for the GUCP leak encountered during the STS-119 countdown. The STS-119 and STS-127 leaks will both be evaluated in order to determine the cause. Data collected during fueling is expected to help the troubleshooting effort.

Endeavour's next launch attempt for its STS-127 mission is targeted for July 11 at 7:39 p.m. EDT.

The 16-day mission will feature five spacewalks and complete construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo laboratory. Astronauts will attach a platform to the outside of the Japanese module that will allow experiments to be exposed to space.

The STS-127 crew members are Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Doug Hurley and Mission Specialists Dave Wolf, Christopher Cassidy, Tom Marshburn, Tim Kopra and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie Payette. Kopra will join the space station crew and replace Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will return to Earth on Endeavour to conclude a three-month stay at the station.