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| Faulty valve halts shuttle launch | |
| (about 16 hours later) | |
| The latest mission to the International Space Station (ISS) by the US shuttle Discovery has been postponed for a second time in two days. | |
| Wednesday's launch was called off several hours before lift-off after a fuel valve was found to be broken. | |
| It came after stormy weather over Cape Canaveral halted Tuesday's launch attempt, confounding the forecasters who had expected benign conditions. | |
| The next lift-off date for the orbiter and ISS supplies has yet to be set. | |
| The mission will be the 30th flight dedicated to station maintenance. | The mission will be the 30th flight dedicated to station maintenance. |
| The US space agency (Nasa) plans an additional six sorties to the orbiting platform before retiring its re-useable spaceship fleet at the end of next year or early in 2011. | |
| Christer Fuglesang is part of the mission's strong European focus | Christer Fuglesang is part of the mission's strong European focus |
| The latest mission has a strong European focus. | The latest mission has a strong European focus. |
| The lab equipment was made in Europe, which is represented in Discovery's crew by Swede Christer Fuglesang. | The lab equipment was made in Europe, which is represented in Discovery's crew by Swede Christer Fuglesang. |
| Mr Fuglesang - who is with the European Space Agency (Esa) - will conduct two of the three spacewalks planned during Discovery's stay at the ISS. | Mr Fuglesang - who is with the European Space Agency (Esa) - will conduct two of the three spacewalks planned during Discovery's stay at the ISS. |
| On one of these walks, the Swede will move cabling on the exterior of the station in readiness for the arrival next year of a connecting unit, called Node 3 or "Tranquility", and a huge window referred to as the Cupola. | On one of these walks, the Swede will move cabling on the exterior of the station in readiness for the arrival next year of a connecting unit, called Node 3 or "Tranquility", and a huge window referred to as the Cupola. |
| The two modules will be Europe's final large-scale contributions to the assembly of the ISS. | The two modules will be Europe's final large-scale contributions to the assembly of the ISS. |
| Discovery's payload bay is taken up with the Italian-built Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), which acts as a giant packing box on shuttle logistics missions. | Discovery's payload bay is taken up with the Italian-built Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM), which acts as a giant packing box on shuttle logistics missions. |
| For this flight, the MPLM contains almost seven tonnes of cargo. This includes two vital European donations - a new freezer to store samples and a furnace for baking materials. | For this flight, the MPLM contains almost seven tonnes of cargo. This includes two vital European donations - a new freezer to store samples and a furnace for baking materials. |
| The former is a Melfi (Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS), which can store biological samples. | The former is a Melfi (Minus Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS), which can store biological samples. |
| Increased science means more freezer space is needed on the ISS | Increased science means more freezer space is needed on the ISS |
| "This is the second such freezer," explained Martin Zell, Esa's head of ISS Utilisation. | "This is the second such freezer," explained Martin Zell, Esa's head of ISS Utilisation. |
| "This first one is already up there since three years and working extremely well. | "This first one is already up there since three years and working extremely well. |
| "It's the main freezer element on the station and can operate between plus-4C, at the upper temperature, down to minus-80 degrees; and even in different temperatures in its four cold volumes, or compartments," he told BBC News. | "It's the main freezer element on the station and can operate between plus-4C, at the upper temperature, down to minus-80 degrees; and even in different temperatures in its four cold volumes, or compartments," he told BBC News. |
| The additional Melfi will facilitate the increased science workload taking place on the station now that its resident crew has been raised from three to six. | The additional Melfi will facilitate the increased science workload taking place on the station now that its resident crew has been raised from three to six. |
| All manner of biological samples will be stored in the new facility, including blood taken from the astronauts. | All manner of biological samples will be stored in the new facility, including blood taken from the astronauts. |
| This is routinely drawn for study, to further scientists' understanding of the impacts of long-duration spaceflight on the human body. | This is routinely drawn for study, to further scientists' understanding of the impacts of long-duration spaceflight on the human body. |
| Growing issue | Growing issue |
| The other notable European cargo item is the Materials Science Laboratory. | The other notable European cargo item is the Materials Science Laboratory. |
| This contains a safe furnace (up to 1,400C) in which astronauts can first melt and then solidify a range of samples, such as metal alloys. | This contains a safe furnace (up to 1,400C) in which astronauts can first melt and then solidify a range of samples, such as metal alloys. |
| The MSL is the first dedicated materials science facility for the ISS | The MSL is the first dedicated materials science facility for the ISS |
| The weightless conditions on the station mean the fine-scale structures in these cooling samples will grow in a different way from how they would at the surface of the Earth. | The weightless conditions on the station mean the fine-scale structures in these cooling samples will grow in a different way from how they would at the surface of the Earth. |
| Scientists expect these experiments to provide novel information that can be applied to everyday industrial manufacturing processes. | Scientists expect these experiments to provide novel information that can be applied to everyday industrial manufacturing processes. |
| With MSL and the Melfi units, Europe is providing both the coldest and the hottest conditions for science on the station. | With MSL and the Melfi units, Europe is providing both the coldest and the hottest conditions for science on the station. |
| As well as preparing the platform for the arrival of Tranquility and the Cupola, the mission's spacewalks will replace experiments that currently live on the outside of Esa's Columbus laboratory. | As well as preparing the platform for the arrival of Tranquility and the Cupola, the mission's spacewalks will replace experiments that currently live on the outside of Esa's Columbus laboratory. |
| They will also exchange one of the tanks for storing ammonia, which is used to move excess heat from inside the station to the radiators located outside. | They will also exchange one of the tanks for storing ammonia, which is used to move excess heat from inside the station to the radiators located outside. |
| Discovery will also drop off US astronaut Nicole Stott for a three-month stay on the ISS, and pick up colleague Tim Kopra for the ride home. Kopra has been living on the platform for the past five weeks. | Discovery will also drop off US astronaut Nicole Stott for a three-month stay on the ISS, and pick up colleague Tim Kopra for the ride home. Kopra has been living on the platform for the past five weeks. |