NASA has taken its time in reviewing the shuttle Discovery, and it will take its time in launching it too. The agency revealed that the launch date will be postponed once again, until its engineers will finally manage to discover the cause of damage to a flow control valve on shuttle Endeavour back in 2008.

 

The shuttle Discovery is preparing for a 14-day mission, during which it will deliver the final set of solar array wings for the International Space Station to complete the station’s truss. The mission was initially scheduled to launch on February 12, but it has been delayed multiple times.

 

The launch date will be established during the February 25 meeting, when NASA specialists will be discussing a plan to inspect additional valves similar to those installed on Discovery. The shuttle has three valves that channel gaseous hydrogen from the engines to the external fuel tank.

 

What we do know for certain is that a launch will not take place earlier than February 27. Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Space Operations at NASA Headquarters in Washington, explained:

 

 

The Discovery mission will include 7 astronauts (pilot Tony Antonelli, Mission Specialists Joseph Acaba, John Phillips, Steve Swanson, Richard Arnold, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata, and Commander Lee Archambault, in charge of the crew) and 4 spacewalks, during a 14-day mission.