The final launch of the space shuttle Endeavour was delayed Friday, temporarily putting off what promised to be an emotional moment for mission's commander.
Liftoff -- originally scheduled for 3:47 p.m. ET -- was delayed by at least 72 hours due to concerns with the shuttle's heating system.
As part of NASA's examination of the problem, the shuttle's external fuel tank will be drained of its oxygen and hydrogen propellants.
"The engineering team did not understand how this problem occurred and did not feel comfortable proceeding with a launch attempt," NASA spokesman George Diller said.
Cmdr. Mark Kelly's wife, U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, traveled to Florida to watch the shuttle's ascent. President Barack Obama and the first family were also scheduled to be in attendance.
As NASA's shuttle program winds down with the last launch scheduled this summer, many in the astronaut corps are wrestling with what to do next. What to do next? How about don't let Endeavour lift off at all. Keep in mind that the fuel tank has over 100 patches on it. If you listened to the show this morning, you'll remember me saying that the fuel tank was damaged due to hurricane Katrina. Is there a new fuel tank in the house? For the foreseeable future, Russian rockets will be the only way for U.S. astronauts to get to space.
***Information provided by CNN***
D. Martez
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