A serious malfunction on the shuttle Endeavor could cause the planned launch to be postponed until next week
Workers responsible for preparing the space shuttle for launch are trying to trace the source of a drop in air pressure in the passenger compartment of the space shuttle Endeavour. This is what the website universe today reveals, which so far is a very reliable source. NASA's official website is still not updated, and in the latest news on the subject, from July 27, it is written that the shuttle has been approved for flight.
The leak is stronger than the permissible limits. The fault was discovered for the first time a few days ago, the engineers believed that they were able to follow it and reached a damaged nut (of a screw). However, even after tightening the nut, the pressure still continued to drop in the passenger compartment.
This is a problem because the shuttle is scheduled to lift off to the International Space Station on August 7 (August 8 01:02 Israel time). If NASA fails to locate the source of the malfunction soon, it could push the mission further and further complicate the tight launch schedule. If all goes well in the end, the shuttle Endeavour, on mission STS-118, will carry cargo, spare parts and another large component to the station chassis International space.
It should be noted that the event takes place in the week when it was learned that a computer intended for launch to the International Space Station had been tampered with, that drunken astronauts had been approved to fly into space, and that a NASA employee had stolen over $150 from the agency.
Delay in Phoenix launch
NASA announced a one-day delay - from Friday to Saturday - in the launch of the Delta 2 rocket carrying the Phoenix spacecraft that is supposed to fly to Mars and land at its north pole. The reason is severe weather conditions expected today, which will delay the refueling of the launcher.
