NASA delays shuttle mission by 24 hours for repair

Cape Canaveral, Fla, Aug 4: NASA delayed the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour by one day to allow time for workers to finish replacing a leaky valve in the spaceship's crew cabin, space agency officials said today.

Liftoff of the second mission of the year had been targeted for Tuesday but was rescheduled for Wednesday for 6:37 p.m. EDT.

The shuttle will carry a new beam to install in the main structural truss of the International Space Station, a new gyroscope for the station's steering system and more than 5,000 pounds (2,250 kg) of cargo.

The seven-member crew, which includes teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan, was still scheduled to arrive at the Kennedy Space Center later today. The three-day launch countdown, which had been set to begin tomorrow, was postponed to Sunday.

Reuters>