This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/sci/tech/5319198.stm
The article has changed 9 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 5 | Version 6 |
|---|---|
| Further delay for space shuttle | Further delay for space shuttle |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| Nasa has postponed the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis due to a technical problem with the spacecraft's onboard power supply, officials say. | Nasa has postponed the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis due to a technical problem with the spacecraft's onboard power supply, officials say. |
| Atlantis had been scheduled for a 1229 EDT (1629 GMT) lift-off on Wednesday from Florida's Kennedy Space Center. | Atlantis had been scheduled for a 1229 EDT (1629 GMT) lift-off on Wednesday from Florida's Kennedy Space Center. |
| The space agency said it would now try to launch the shuttle on Thursday. | The space agency said it would now try to launch the shuttle on Thursday. |
| Officials said the launch had been scrubbed because one of the three fuel cells providing electricity to the shuttle malfunctioned. | Officials said the launch had been scrubbed because one of the three fuel cells providing electricity to the shuttle malfunctioned. |
| "The launch rules say you need to have three good, operating fuel cells," said Nasa spokesman Bruce Buckingham. "We're going to see if it's something that's a real problem or whether it's something we can rectify." | |
| Two previous launch attempts have been delayed because of a lightning strike and Tropical Storm Ernesto. | Two previous launch attempts have been delayed because of a lightning strike and Tropical Storm Ernesto. |
| The problem was discovered shortly before an overnight meeting to decide whether to start pumping the shuttle's fuel tank with liquid hydrogen and oxygen. | The problem was discovered shortly before an overnight meeting to decide whether to start pumping the shuttle's fuel tank with liquid hydrogen and oxygen. |
| When the fuel cells were powered up, a low voltage reading came from one of the alternating current units. The other two units spiked up to compensate for the lower voltage in the first unit. | When the fuel cells were powered up, a low voltage reading came from one of the alternating current units. The other two units spiked up to compensate for the lower voltage in the first unit. |
| The delay puts more pressure on Nasa to get Atlantis off the ground this week or postpone the launch until late October in order not to interfere with a Russian mission to the space station later in the month. | The delay puts more pressure on Nasa to get Atlantis off the ground this week or postpone the launch until late October in order not to interfere with a Russian mission to the space station later in the month. |
| Construction job | Construction job |
| Atlantis is on a mission to resume construction of the International Space Station, which was halted following the Columbia disaster in 2003. | Atlantis is on a mission to resume construction of the International Space Station, which was halted following the Columbia disaster in 2003. |
| ISS: ORBITING OUTPOST Construction work has been on hold for four years16 nations contribute to the ISS, including the US, Russia, Japan, Canada, Brazil and European Space Agency statesThe ISS will eventually be the size of a football field The shuttle's six-strong crew will deliver and fit the P3/P4 truss, a 17-tonne segment of the space station's "backbone" that includes a huge set of solar arrays and a giant rotary joint to allow them to track the Sun. | ISS: ORBITING OUTPOST Construction work has been on hold for four years16 nations contribute to the ISS, including the US, Russia, Japan, Canada, Brazil and European Space Agency statesThe ISS will eventually be the size of a football field The shuttle's six-strong crew will deliver and fit the P3/P4 truss, a 17-tonne segment of the space station's "backbone" that includes a huge set of solar arrays and a giant rotary joint to allow them to track the Sun. |
| The arrays will be the second of four sets, and will span 73m (240ft) when fully extended. | The arrays will be the second of four sets, and will span 73m (240ft) when fully extended. |
| They will provide power for three science laboratories, two living chambers and other systems onboard the ISS. They effectively double the station's current ability to generate power from sunlight. | They will provide power for three science laboratories, two living chambers and other systems onboard the ISS. They effectively double the station's current ability to generate power from sunlight. |
| The half-built $100bn (£52bn) space station must be completed before 2010, when the shuttle fleet is due to be retired. | The half-built $100bn (£52bn) space station must be completed before 2010, when the shuttle fleet is due to be retired. |
| If the weather deteriorates again or if the technical problems persist, the shuttle has two more days to attempt a lift-off: Thursday and Friday. Failing to launch this week could delay the Atlantis mission until late October. | If the weather deteriorates again or if the technical problems persist, the shuttle has two more days to attempt a lift-off: Thursday and Friday. Failing to launch this week could delay the Atlantis mission until late October. |