Discovery, on 3rd Try, Blasts Off

(NEWSER) - NASA called off another launch attempt for the shuttle Discovery, scheduled for early tomorrow, due to a broken valve in the craft’s liquid propellant system, Space.com reports tonight. It’s the second time the mission has been postponed in less than 24 hours: Storms early this morning forced the agency to scrub a planned launch just after 1:30am. Discovery must blast off by Sunday or wait until Oct. 17. More»

Fuel valve concerns cause further delays to mission

(NEWSER) - The Space Shuttle Discovery’s mission to deliver the final piece of a solar power array to the International Space Station was delayed again today, only hours before scheduled launch, CNN reports. The mission had already been postponed a month so technicians could determine whether three valves that control fuel supply were in danger of breaking; continued concerns over the valves caused today’s delay. More»

Shuttle won't launch before May 16

(NEWSER) - Gabrielle Giffords is getting some extra recovery time before her husband's final space flight: NASA yesterday announced that the shuttle Endeavour would launch no sooner than May 16, reports Space.com. NASA managers made the call after meeting to take stock of repairs to a broken power unit, which had already delayed the launch by a week from its original April 29 date. Giffords is back in rehab in Houston, reports the AP, where she was spotted dining out with husband Mark Kelly and friends. More»

Unsure when next opportunity will come

(NEWSER) - NASA has scrapped tomorrow's tentative launch of space shuttle Endeavour, reports Space.com, saying that it needs more time to fix the broken auxiliary power unit that delayed the launch on Friday. "We're looking more toward the end of the week, maybe next weekend," says a NASA spokesman. "We won't know until tomorrow when our next launch opportunity is." The power unit is in a difficult-to-access section of the shuttle. More»

It's off for at least 48 hours

(NEWSER) - No Endeavour launch today—or probably this weekend either. NASA postponed the high-profile launch to investigate trouble with heaters in the shuttle's power system, reports MSNBC . No word yet on what that means for the day's most awaited spectator, Gabby Giffords. Husband Mark Kelly and crew were less than four hours from liftoff when the news broke. The next attempt will likely be Monday at the earliest, reports AP . More»