The launch of space shuttle Endeavour’s STS-127 mission to the International Space Station is on hold due to a leak associated with the gaseous hydrogen venting system outside the external fuel tank. The system is used to carry excess hydrogen safely away from the launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. At 12:26 a.m. EDT Saturday, managers officially scrubbed the launch for at least 96 hours.
 
The earliest the shuttle could be ready for liftoff is June 17, however there is a range conflict on that date with the scheduled launch of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter/Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. NASA managers will discuss range options and if Endeavour is not able to launch by June 20, the next window opens on July 11.
 
Mission managers will hold a meeting at 2 p.m. Sunday to discuss the repair options and Endeavour’s launch attempt opportunities. A news conference will follow the meeting’s conclusion and will air live on NASA Television and the agency Web site. NASA TV: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv
 

 
After rollback of the rotating service structure on Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, space shuttle Endeavour, with its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters, are poised for launch. The rollback is preparation for Endeavour’s liftoff June 13 on the STS-127 mission with a crew of seven. The rotating structure provides protected access to the shuttle for changeout and servicing of payloads at the pad. It is supported by a rotating bridge that pivots on a vertical axis on the west side of the pad’s flame trench. After the RSS is rolled back, the orbiter is ready for fuel cell activation and external tank cryogenic propellant loading operations. The launch will be Endeavour’s 23rd flight. The shuttle will carry the Japanese Experiment Module’s Exposed Facility, or JEM-EF, and the Experiment Logistics Module-Exposed Section, or ELM-ES, on STS-127. The mission is the final of three flights dedicated to the assembly of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory complex on the space station. Credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
 

 
The open rotating service structure, or RSS (left), on Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida reveals space shuttle Endeavour poised for launch. Credit: NASA/Jim Grossmann
 
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 - courtesy of NASA