NASA Postpones Orbital Launch, Sets Spacewalks to Repair Faulty Station
Pump Module
*
NASA managers are postponing the upcoming Orbital Sciences commercial cargo
resupply mission to the International Space Station to proceed with a series
of spacewalks to replace a faulty pump module on the space station.

NASA Television will air a news briefing at 3 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Dec. 18
to preview the spacewalks.

Orbital Sciences' Cygnus spacecraft, atop its Antares rocket, now will launch
no earlier than January. The postponement of the Antares launch will allow
ample time for the station crew to focus on repairing a faulty pump module
that stopped working properly on Dec. 11.

NASA currently plans for two Expedition 38 astronauts to venture outside the
space station Dec. 21, 23 and 25. NASA astronauts Rick Mastracchio and Mike
Hopkins will remove a pump module that has a failed valve. They will replace
it with an existing spare that is stored on an external stowage platform. The
pump is associated with one of the station's two external cooling loops,
which circulate ammonia outside the station to keep both internal and
external equipment cool. Each of the three spacewalks will begin at 7:10 a.m.
and is scheduled to last six and a half hours. NASA TV coverage will begin at
6:15 a.m.

Wednesday's spacewalks preview briefing will take place from NASA's Johnson
Space Center in Houston. Reporters may attend the 3 p.m. briefing at Johnson
and other participating NASA centers, or ask questions by calling the Johnson
newsroom at 281-483-5111 no later than 2:45 p.m. Briefers will include:

-- Michael Suffredini, International Space Station program manager
-- Dina Contella, International Space Station flight director
-- Allison Bolinger, lead spacewalk officer

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

http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

For video b-roll and other media resources for the space station, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/stationnews

For more information about the International Space Station and its crew,
visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/station


David Cottle

UBB Owner & Administrator