Shuttle Endeavour Launch to Wait Another Week
Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-134) will not launch before next Sunday, May 8, and perhaps later, according to NASA.
The launch was scrubbed on Friday because of a problem with one of the three Auxiiary Power Units (APUs). The APUs provide hydraulic power to steer the shuttle during launch and reentry. NASA discovered that a heater in APU-1 that prevents its fuel from freezing while in space failed because of a bad power circuit in a switchbox located in the orbiter’s aft compartment. NASA said today that it is developing a schedule to remove and replace the swtichbox and retest the unit. An official launch date will not be announced for a few days. May 8 is the earliest that it can launch. The crew has returned to Houston.
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