Monday Launch? NASA To Decide Sunday
CAPE CANAVERAL -(CBS4) -NASA expects to announce Sunday morning whether Endeavour's six-man crew will be able to launch Monday.
On Saturday, technicians drained fuel from the shuttle in an attempt to determine what caused the heating system for a power system that controls crucial hydraulics to postpone Friday's launch.
Friday's launch drew wounded Rep. Gabrielle Giffords whose husband Mark Kelly will serve as Endeavour's commander.
Kennedy Space Center was nearly empty Saturday – a sight that will become all too common once the shuttle program comes to its end this summer.
Astronauts instead will be enjoying the weekend with family members a beach house, said Kennedy Space Center Director Robert Cabana.
"Today is a kind of rest and try to recoup day except for the technicians working to isolate and fix this problem," NASA spokesman Mike Curie said Saturday afternoon.
There are two likely scenarios for NASA's technical glitch. If it's just a thermostat problem that can be quickly replaced and put Endeavour on track for a Monday 2:34 p.m. EDT launch attempt. Meteorologists give an 80 percent chance for acceptable weather Monday afternoon with slight worries about winds at the emergency landing site, low clouds and visibility, Curie said.
The other option includes a fault in another part of the electrical system that isn't quite so easy to fix. It could be a box of switches that would then require at least two days of testing. If that's the case, launch is not likely before May 8.
NASA managers have to make a decision by early Sunday afternoon, if they want to be on track for a Monday launch.
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