June 13, 2009

Candrea Thomas Kennedy Space Center, Fla 321-867-2468 candrea k thomas@nasa gov

John Yembrick Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 john yembrick-1@nasa gov

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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