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Astronauts board shuttle for fifth launch attempt

Other News Materials 14 July 2009 02:19 (UTC +04:00)
Astronauts board shuttle for fifth launch attempt

The shuttle Endeavour crew climbed aboard their spaceship on Monday, hoping for a break in the weather and the start of an ambitious 16-day construction mission at the International Space Station, Reuters reported.

The flight has been on hold for a month, delayed by fuel leaks, lightning strikes and bad weather. The forecast for Monday's launch attempt at 6:51 p.m. EDT (2251 GMT) is not encouraging, with meteorologists predicting a 60 percent chance of clouds and thunderstorms near the Florida spaceport.

"We're going to give it a shot," said NASA spokesman Allard Beutel.

Earlier Monday, the shuttle was filled with more than 500,000 gallons (1.9 million litres) of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to prepare for NASA's fifth attempt to deliver a Japanese-built research platform and spare parts to the space station.

The fuel will be consumed by the shuttle's three main engines during the 8.5-minute ride to orbit.

If it rains in the hours before the launch, NASA may opt to call off the launch attempt because water could seep inside one of the shuttle's steering thrusters, possibly creating problems when it would be fired up in space to maneuver the shuttle.

The thrusters are launched with covers, but one came loose during Sunday's launch attempt.

NASA managers considered delaying the launch another day to replace the cover, but decided instead to proceed with the countdown and hope for good weather.

The U.S. space agency has until Tuesday or Wednesday to get Endeavour into orbit before it would stand down until July 27 to allow a Russian Progress cargo ship to launch and dock at the station.

NASA has eight shuttle missions remaining to complete construction of the orbital outpost, a $100 billion project of 16 nations. Endeavour's primary cargo is a platform to hold science experiments that need to be exposed to the open environment of space. The module is to be connected to the front of Japan's $2.4 billion Kibo complex.

The shuttle crew plans to conduct five spacewalks during their 12-day stay at the station. The astronauts also plan to replace batteries in one of the station's solar panel wings and stash spare parts needed to keep the outpost operational after the shuttle fleet is retired next year.

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