A balky valve that is used to move super-cold rocket fuel into the Marshall Space Flight Center-managed space shuttle main engines is keeping the seven-member Space Shuttle Discovery crew on the ground tonight.
Just after 5 p.m. CDT NASA made the announcement that the "fill-and-drain" valve would not close properly. Located at the aft, or rear, end of the Discovery orbiter the valve serves the purpose of moving rocket fuel into the space shuttle main engines.
NASA engineers and managers are reviewing the valve, but have not established a repair procedure or set a new launch date. Houston-based Johnson Space Center managers oversee the valve assembly.
NASA managers cancelled the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery early this morning because of bad weather. Lightning and storm clouds caused the launch delay.
Discovery is slated to carry the Leonardo supply module to the International Space Station during STS-128, along with a new crew member for the station, Nicole Stott.
Commanded by veteran astronaut Rick "C.J." Sturckow, the STS-128 mission crew will deliver refrigerator-sized racks full of equipment, including the COLBERT treadmill, an exercise device named after comedian Stephen Colbert.
Stott will take the place of Tim Kopra, who moved into the station during STS-127. Pilot Kevin Ford and Mission Specialists Patrick Forrester, Jose Hernandez, John "Danny" Olivas and Sweden's Christer Fuglesang round out the crew.
For a description of the next shuttle mission click on the window below: