Launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour Reset for Tuesday 4 Dec

International Space Station and Space Shuttle managers
have rescheduled the launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour to
Tuesday at 5:45 p.m. EST from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center,
Fla. The long-range weather forecast indicates favorable
conditions for launch.

The new date will allow sufficient time for a spacewalk to
clear an apparent obstruction in a docking mechanism on the
International Space Station’s Zvezda module. This apparent
obstruction is believed to be preventing hooks and latches
from fully engaging to secure a Russian Progress supply
vehicle to its docking port.

The decision to reschedule was jointly made after Russian and
American flight controllers conducted an extensive review of
the amount of work required to complete the mating of the
Progress to the station.

In order to prepare for an expected four-hour spacewalk by
Expedition Three crewmembers Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail
Tyurin, beginning Monday morning about 8:30 EST, the crew,
including Commander Frank Culbertson, will adjust its sleep
schedule to match times during which the complex flies over
Russian ground communication sites — a safety requirement.
The spacewalk will be carried on NASA TV beginning at 8 a.m.
EST Monday. A countdown-status press briefing will be carried
on NASA TV as soon as practical following the spacewalk.

This sleep-shifting currently does not match the schedule of
the arriving shuttle and Expedition Four crews, which is
required for the weeklong joint operations to transfer some
6,000 pounds (2,700 kilograms) of supplies to the station and
to the shuttle, in addition to swapping command from
Expedition Three to Expedition Four.

The decision to launch Endeavour Tuesday will allow both the
shuttle- and station-crew sleep schedules to properly align.
The decision also allows station managers to assess the
results of the spacewalk and allow launch controllers at
Kennedy to replenish power reactants aboard Endeavour that
would provide the flexibility for an additional day of joint
operations at the station, if necessary.

The shuttle crew of Commander Dom Gorie (Capt., USN), Pilot
Scott Kelly (Lt. Cdr, USN) and Mission Specialists Linda
Godwin (Ph.D.) and Dan Tani will deliver the Expedition Four
crew of Commander Yury Onufrienko and Flight Engineers Dan
Bursch (Capt., USN) and Carl Walz (Col., USAF) to the station
for a five-month stay aboard the complex, orbiting 240 miles
(386 kilometers) above the Earth.

The seven crewmembers will remain at Kennedy reviewing
mission-training plans and timelines, and spending time with
their families prior to Tuesday’s launch. Gorie and Kelly will
conduct Shuttle Training Aircraft flights tonight and Sunday
to maintain proficiency for landing.

The countdown clock for Endeavour’s launch will remain in the
T minus 11 hour hold until 2:47 a.m. EST Tuesday. Fueling of
the shuttle’s external fuel tank will start at approximately
7:45 a.m. EST Tuesday and NASA TV coverage of the launch will
begin at 12:30 p.m. EST. A December 4 launch will provide for
a landing of Endeavour on December 15 at approximately 1:30
p.m. EST.

The Kennedy Space Center press site will be closed Saturday
and Sunday. Hours of operation Monday are from 8 a.m. to 7:00
p.m. and Tuesday from 7 a.m. to midnight.