Space Shuttle Discovery Launch Moved - NASA Announces No Sooner than August 28th

NASA has announced that the next launch attempt for the space shuttle Discovery will be no earlier than 12:22 am Friday, August 28th at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Wednesday's launch attempt was postponed after an indication that a valve in the shuttle's main propulsion system failed to perform as expected during fueling of the shuttle's external fuel tank. NASA managers officially postponed Wednesday's launch attempt because of uncertainty about whether a valve that was commanded to be closed actually was closed. The valve is associated with the fill and drain plumbing of the main propulsion system within the shuttle's aft compartment.

On Thursday, August 27th, the space shuttle mission management team will meet to discuss the troubleshooting results and decide whether to continue with a launch attempt.

Discovery's 13-day STS-128 flight to the International Space Station will deliver storage racks; materials and fluids science racks; a freezer to store research samples; a new sleeping compartment; an air purification system; and a treadmill named after comedian Stephen Colbert.

For information about the space station, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/station

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