Damaged engine seal could delay Endeavour launch

Endeavour

January 28, 2000
Web posted at: 1:56 p.m. EST (1856 GMT)

From Space Correspondent
Miles O'Brien

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (CNN) -- The Endeavour launch may be delayed so engineers can examine a damaged seal recently discovered in an engine that placed another space shuttle into orbit in December, NASA launch managers said Friday.

Endeavour is slated to begin a 10-day mission Monday that could produce the most accurate and comprehensive map of the Earth's surface.

The seal is used inside one of the engines' turbopumps. The so called "tip" seal is located around the outer edge of fast spinning blades that increase the pressure of liquid hydrogen fuel as it is ignited in the main engine.

The seals ringing the pump keep hot hydrogen gas from leaking. If there were a leak detected by the shuttle's main engine controllers, it would likely shut the engine down, raising the possibility of a risky abort maneuver.

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Engineers conducting routine post-flight inspections of the Discovery this week discovered in the turbopumps "scoring in excess of what is normally anticipated," said NASA spokesperson Dave Drachlas.

It is unclear if a similar problem was detected after previous shuttle flights. The turbopump has been shipped to the Boeing/Rocketdyne plant where it was manufactured in Conoga Park, California. Engineers there are examining it to determine what caused the problem.

Meanwhile, engineers at the Kennedy Space Center are combing through records to see if they can uncover any clues to the cause and whether it is an isolated incident.

A crucial preflight mission management meeting is scheduled for 2 p.m. EST on Saturday. Managers will likely make a decision then whether to press on with a Monday 12:47 p.m. EST launch.