Shuttle engineers find leak in Endeavour’s crew cabin

Published Thursday, August 2, 2007

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - With a launch countdown looming, NASA scrambled yesterday to fix a cabin leak aboard space shuttle Endeavour.

The leak was traced overnight to one of two pressure-relief valves in Endeavour’s crew cabin, located behind the toilet but separate from the bathroom plumbing, NASA spokesman George Diller said.

NASA decided late yesterday to replace the bad valve with one taken from space shuttle Atlantis. The component will be tested today.

A problem with one of two thermostats for one of Endeavour’s auxiliary power units also cropped up. Engineers initially thought both thermostats would need to be replaced, but they concluded that the faulty one is good enough to fly as is and, besides, the system has built-in redundancy, Diller said. The units generate power for the shuttle’s crucial hydraulic systems.

All the extra work can be completed in time for Endeavour’s planned liftoff Tuesday, Diller said, but it will be tight. Thunderstorms or mechanical problems could force NASA to postpone the flight.

Endeavour will carry Barbara Morgan, a schoolteacher-turned-astronaut who was Christa McAuliffe’s backup in 1986. McAuliffe was aboard the Challenger when it broke apart shortly after liftoff.