Scholastic News Kids Press Corps Blog: Shuttle Launch Scrubbed

Shuttle Launch Scrubbed

Space Shuttle Endeavour encounters problem; launch delayed

It's 2:12 a.m., I'm sitting here wide awake next to my Mom eating a chocolate Pop-tart. What's going on here?

We were scheduled to attend the launch of STS-127 at 7:17 this morning. To catch the shuttle to the viewing causeway we had to be at Kennedy Space Center at 3:30 a.m. So we woke up at 1:30 a.m. and discovered that NASA had postponed the launch of STS-127 because of a reported hydrogen leak.

Bummer! I immediately have mixed feelings about this. We've waited for months for this launch and were just down the road from the Kennedy Space Center getting ready to go and see it live. I was so excited! But the delay is also a blessing because a potentially tragic problem was discovered before it was too late.

NASA's Mike Moses reports that engineers have "started draining the fuel from the shuttle Endeavour." Once the fuel is completely drained on Sunday afternoon, engineers will be able to access the problem in more detail and predict a new launch date.

At this point the earlier possible date is Wednesday, June 17.

Assigning a new launch date is tricky, especially because of the scheduled launch of the LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter - more about that later) for Friday, June 19.

If by any chance NASA cannot launch Endeavour by June 20, they will move the launch date to July 11.

"[Delays] are part of r business," said STS-127 Commander Mark Polansky. "[The] most important thing is to not launch until every thing is ready"

Okay, I'm finally getting sleepy again, Goodnight . Or is it good morning?

—Bailey Pownall

PHOTO: STS-127 crew members (front row) Commander Mark Polansky (right) and Pilot Doug Hurley. Back row (left to right), astronauts Dave Wolf, Christopher Cassidy, Canadian Space Agency's Julie Payette, Tom Marshburn and Tim Kopra, all mission specialists. Image credit: NASA