Shuttle Endeavour departure from California delayed
The departure of space shuttle Endeavour from Edwards Air Force Base has been postponed at least a day and is now expected at sunrise Monday, NASA said.
Technicians encountered delays because three of eight custom-made pins used to bolt an aerodynamic cone to the shuttle's tail were too large.
They "were just microscopically oversized," NASA spokesman Alan Brown said.
Machinists were able to reduce the pins to the correct size, and engineers reviewed the work to make sure they would withstand the stress of a cross-country flight.
The shuttle will be mounted atop a modified Boeing 747 jetliner for a piggyback ride home to Cape Canaveral, Fla.
The aerodynamic cone damps tail vibrations on the trip home.
Brown said technicians planned to install the cone onto the tail later today. Managers will conduct a flight-readiness review at midday Sunday, when a final decision on departure will be made. Other, unexpected glitches could further delay departure.
Endeavour landed at Edwards Air Force on Nov. 30 after a 16-day mission to service the International Space Station. The threat of thunderstorms in Cape Canaveral prompted the shuttle's route change to California.
Edwards is about 65 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
-- Rong-Gong Lin II
Photo: Mike Mangione puts star tracker covers on the nose of the space shuttle Endeavour. Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times
 |
PDF: Graphic explaining a space shuttle trip in 2005 from California to Florida. |
 |
Gallery: Flight of the space shuttle Endeavour |
