NASA Postpones Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour

June 13, 2009

John Yembrick
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100


Candrea Thomas
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
321-867-2468

RELEASE: 09-135

NASA POSTPONES LAUNCH OF SPACE SHUTTLE ENDEAVOUR

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA postponed space shuttle Endeavour's
launch to the International Space Station on Saturday because of a
leak associated with the gaseous hydrogen venting system outside the
shuttle's external fuel tank. The system is used to carry excess
hydrogen safely away from the launch pad. Managers scrubbed the
launch for at least 96 hours.

The earliest the shuttle could be ready to launch is June 17.
However,
there is a conflict on the Eastern Range that date with the scheduled
launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter/Lunar Crater Observation
and Sensing Satellite.

Mission managers will hold a meeting at 2 p.m. EDT Sunday to discuss
the repair options and Endeavour's launch opportunities. A news
conference will follow the meeting and air on NASA Television and the
agency's Web site.

The 16-day mission will feature five spacewalks and complete
construction of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Kibo
laboratory. Astronauts will attach a platform to the outside of the
Japanese module that will allow experiments to be exposed to space.

The STS-127 crew members are Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Doug
Hurley and Mission Specialists Dave Wolf, Christopher Cassidy, Tom
Marshburn, Tim Kopra and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Julie
Payette. Kopra will join the space station crew and replace Japanese
astronaut Koichi Wakata. Wakata will return to Earth on Endeavour to
conclude a three-month stay at the station.

Polansky, who has a Twitter account named Astro_127, can be followed
online at:

http://www.twitter.com/Astro_127

For information about NASA TV streaming video, downlink and schedule
information, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For the latest information about the STS-127 mission and its crew,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/shuttle

For information about the International Space Station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station

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