Aalice.134 net.columbia utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!mhtsa!research!alice!sjb Wed Nov 4 18:37:35 1981 shuttle scrubbed [I am home early! -- today] By now, you all know that the shuttle mission for today was scrubbed. Here is some more detail on exactly what happened: At T-9:00 of the first countdown, a computer stopped the clock-- after a scheduled hold. There was a reading of low pressure in three tanks which supple oxygen to the fuel cells. Officials decided that it was within tolerance and ordered the computer to restart the clock -- it did. But at T-:31, the computer shut it down again. Again, officials ordered the clock reset, either to T-9:00 or T-20:00. It was, and at 0935 EST (the second countdown now in progress), the computer again shut the clock down -- this time there was an overpressurization problem in two of the auxiliary power units that provide hydraulic power to the ship. Apparently, 2 clogged filters, never refurbished after April's flight, were the problem. Hydrazine fuel leaked into the APU gearbox and contaminated its lubricant. The filters must now be removed, purged, cleaned, and reinstalled. A new launch date and time is to be announced tomorrow. Hopes are for sometime between Friday and Monday. However, the weather remains a problem. This afternoon it did rain at the Cape. And predictions say the weather will deteriorate in the coming days. ----------------------------------------------------------------- gopher://quux.org/ conversion by John Goerzen of http://communication.ucsd.edu/A-News/ This Usenet Oldnews Archive article may be copied and distributed freely, provided: 1. There is no money collected for the text(s) of the articles. 2. The following notice remains appended to each copy: The Usenet Oldnews Archive: Compilation Copyright (C) 1981, 1996 Bruce Jones, Henry Spencer, David Wiseman.