NASA dealing with leak in shuttle Endeavour

Miami, Aug 2: A leaky valve was found in the cabin of the space shuttle Endeavour and it was not certain whether the glitch would affect the ship's Tuesday launch, a NASA spokesman said.

NASA managers were meeting to decide what to do about the leak as they grappled with a crowded flight schedule at Cape Canaveral in Florida.

''The leak has been isolated. It's a pressure-relief valve behind the toilet in the crew cabin,'' said John Yembrick, a spokesman for the US space agency.

''It's possible they could replace it or fly as is,'' he said yesterday. ''That's what they're discussing right now.'' Endeavour is slated to blast off from the Kennedy Space Center for the International Space Station on Tuesday evening, just three days after the launch of the Phoenix Mars Lander from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Florida's summer thunderstorms frequently delay launches.

The Phoenix launch aboard a Delta 2 rocket has already been postponed from Friday to Saturday by bad weather.

Reuters>