![length of space shuttle endeavour length of space shuttle endeavour](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-gqok5GwYvVQ/TrdAJ9bZHAI/AAAAAAAAC7o/qimkQ3FpArE/s800/Space_Shuttle_Endeavour_Decomissioning.jpg)
Launch attempts are available through May 26.
![length of space shuttle endeavour length of space shuttle endeavour](http://www.collectspace.com/images/news-101612a/128-lg.jpg)
Engineers confirmed the circuit in the original switchbox that directed power to the heaters was shorted out. On Endeavour’s first launch attempt, one of two heaters for APU-1’s fuel line did not work. NASA launch commit criteria and flight rules require all APUs and heater circuits to be operational for launch. The hydrazine fuel lines on each APU have two heater circuits that prevent the fuel from freezing while the shuttle is in space. The shuttle has three Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) that provide hydraulic power to steer the vehicle during ascent and entry. They also ran the heaters for up to 30 minutes to verify they are working properly and completed retesting of the other systems powered by the switchbox. This past weekend, technicians installed and checked out new wiring that bypasses the suspect electrical wiring connecting the switchbox to the heaters. The faulty box was changed May 4, and a test of nine shuttle systems powered by the new box is underway. Technicians determined the failure was inside an aft load control assembly, which is a switchbox in the shuttle’s aft compartment, and possibly its associated electrical wiring.Īlthough the root cause of the failure in the switchbox has not been found, technicians are replacing hardware that could have caused the problem. Kennedy technicians are continuing work to resolve an issue in a heater circuit associated with Endeavour’s hydraulic system that resulted in the launch postponement. Monday, May 9, Mike Moses and Mike Leinbach from NASA’s Space Shuttle Program will hold a news conference at Kennedy Space Center in Florida to discuss the progress of repairs since Endeavour’s launch postponement April 29. If Endeavour launches May 16, liftoff would be at 8:56 a.m. After a meeting May 6, they also extended the length of Endeavour’s STS-134 mission to the International Space Station from 14 to 16 days. NASA managers have retargeted space shuttle Endeavour’s launch to no earlier than Monday, May 16.