![Space Shuttle hydrogen pump](http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/180842main_119-pad-720-2.jpg") |
| A hydrogen vent line to the Shuttle, the source of a leak delaying the launch. |
The STS-119 mission launch has been delayed at least a few days due to a hydrogen leak in a vent line. The Shuttle is in no danger according to NASA, but things like this bedevil the complicated launch process, and they want to make sure everything is OK. A team of inspectors will take a look this afternoon to assess what’s what.
It’ll be 19:43 (Eastern time) on March 15th at the earliest for the next launch, and historically leaks like this take a while to sort out, so that target time and date may be optimistic. We’ll know better later today or tomorrow.
March 12th, 2009 at 10:25 am
Nothing that a little duct tape can’t fix, right?
March 12th, 2009 at 10:29 am
That thing looks complicated.
March 12th, 2009 at 10:33 am
MacGyver can fix it with some bubble gum. Or maybe MacGruber.
March 12th, 2009 at 10:52 am
Of course, MacGyver doesn’t get hauled before the Senate when the shuttle explodes during re-entry.
March 12th, 2009 at 11:20 am
They’re still launching those things, huh?
March 12th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
a hydrogen leak in a vent line
Oh, what a coincidence. This is the excuse I gave my boss when I called in sick this morning.
March 12th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
The Ides of March?
good sign!
/snark
J/P=?
March 12th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
I had NASA TV on this morning before work, and in between the stuff about the launch, they were talking about Mission Madness – Vote for the best missions from the past, present, and future. Looks like a lot of fun!
So this was sorta related to this post!
March 12th, 2009 at 2:11 pm
Hydrogen leaks seem extremely dangerous to me, isn’t “no danger” a bit of an understatement.
March 12th, 2009 at 6:30 pm
About the NASA Shuttle Falling in the Sea
A hydrogen leak scrubbed today’s scheduled shuttle launch; the new plan is to launch the 100th mission since Challenger on Sunday (or the Ides of March), a schedule the oft-cited Phil Plait calls optimistic.
The Discovery crew members are set to…
March 12th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Amen! to Naked Bunny.
I was telling my parents when the launch was set for and my mom promptly stated “when it’s suppooooosed to launch but they’ll find ’something wrong’ and put it off until someone remembers how much money NASA spends and they’ll have to start doing something media worthy again.” HAHA
March 12th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
The BA Says: “they want to make sure everything is OK. A”
Isn’t that supposed to be “A.OK”?
- Jack