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NASA
Endeavour's crew takes a break during Friday's launch rehearsal at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. From left are commander Mark Kelly, pilot Greg Johnson, Michael Fincke, Andrew Feustel, Roberto Vittori and Greg Chamitoff.
Last updated 10:30 a.m. ET April 4:
NASA says the shuttle Endeavour's last scheduled launch will have to be postponed another 10 days to avoid a traffic jam in orbit.
Endeavour's April 19 liftoff will be put off until April 29 at the earliest because the Russians aren't willing to slow down the voyage of a robotic Progress cargo ship to the International Space Station. If both missions had proceeded as planned, the Progress would have shown up while Endeavour was still attached to the space station, which is an operational no-no.
For what it's worth, the delay means that Endeavour is currently due to blast off on the same day as Prince William's royal wedding to Kate Middleton at London's Westminster Abbey. (Sorry, your highness, I'll be attending the launch instead.)
NASA had hoped to persuade the Russians to put their Progress into a "parking orbit" for a few days after its April 27 launch. That would have given Endeavour time to finish its business and fly away from the space station before the cargo ship's automated docking. But the Russians held firm to their timetable for the Progress' arrival, forcing NASA to postpone Endeavour's launch.
The schedule shift first came to light in a report first published Sunday on The Daily Beast website, and a NASA announcement confirmed the report Monday morning.
Last month, NASASpaceflight.com's Chris Bergin noted that NASA and the Russians were in negotiations over the timing of the two missions. One of the sticking points: The Progress' cargo includes a time-sensitive biological experiment that has to be put in the space station's freezer within days of launch.
At the time, Bergin said it was "unlikely" that NASA would change Endeavour's launch date, but that's precisely what happened. The new launch time is 3:47 p.m. ET on April 29.
Endeavour's STS-134 mission is notable for at least three reasons: First, it would be Endeavour's final flight before it is retired and donated to a museum. Second, the shuttle is due to deliver a $2 billion international physics experiment known as the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer. And third, the mission's commander, Mark Kelly, is the husband of U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., who suffered a grave head injury in a shooting three months ago but now seems likely to attend the launch, whenever it is.
Endeavour and the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer were originally due to go up into orbit last November as the final space shuttle mission, but NASA shuffled the launch schedule to give engineers more time to retrofit the physics experiment for extra years of service. Further slips pushed the STS-134 launch from February to April.
Last week, Kelly and his crewmates visited NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a launch rehearsal, just in time to see their spaceship pummeled by severe weather. NASA said Endeavour's external fuel tank suffered only "minor foam damage," and the shuttle orbiter itself was not affected. So the storm played no part in NASA's decision to delay the launch.
One more shuttle flight is scheduled after Endeavour's outing. Atlantis is due to take on the 30-year-old shuttle program's last mission in late June. NASA managers reportedly would prefer to delay that station resupply flight for a couple of months — but stretching out the shuttle program any further would require extra money, and it's not clear whether that funding could be made available.
Tip o' the Log to NBC News' Jay Barbree and NBC News space analyst James Oberg.
Join the Cosmic Log community by clicking the "like" button on our Facebook page or by following msnbc.com science editor Alan Boyle as b0yle on Twitter. To learn more about my book on Pluto and the search for planets, check out the website for "The Case for Pluto."
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hey NASA: Show 'em what ya got......send Endeavour in early, if safe to do so...stay ahead of the cargo.....best bet.....we know you always work with time windows before and after the critical time day (+/ -) given days.....what say you NASA?
I am anxious to watch the final launch of the Endeavor but safety should come first. We wouldn't want a fin bender or worse: space rage during a space jam.
I'd also like to make a moderately unrelated comment. What is it with journalists these days? Why do the use questions as their headlines. It is their job to inform the reader; they shouldn't be asking us the questions. A headline like "Space Jam May Delay Shuttle Launch" is more appropriate. Sorry for this side comment but it is turning into a pet peeve now that it is occurring so often.
Sounds like that's worth yet another headline: "What is it with journalists these days?" ;-)
But seriously, this is a subject that cries out for a question headline. I hope we'll be able to remove the question mark tomorrow when I can get some more information independently.
Way to go Alan, Excellent response.
I have learned that questions are the way to find answers.
They cause one to THINK.
What does the reader want next, some one to read the news to them?
Oh that's what the local 6 o'clock news does any way, problem solved.
Love your response. That is worthy of praise, well done Mr. Boyle well done.
Is a 10 day postponement really that big of deal? Heck sometimes a launch is postponed or called off many times before they finally get a green light. They could go for a 19th liftoff or launch and not end up actually doing for days anyway.
Well I think the big deal would be the money involved in a postponement. Not sure what it would cost but It's probably not cheap to keep everything on hold for any period of time. Safety is always first but money is a close 2nd.
Good article , very informative thank you.
We should play it safe. A short delay won't hurt. Besides, I'm personally not going to enjoy seeing the shuttle program wind down. The building, flying, and upgrading of the shuttles over the years has created thousands upon thousands of jobs all over our country. I'd really like to see a new-generation shuttle on the drawing boards. They are so versatile!
Years ago, when we were the space leaders, Russia would have done what we requested. We paid for most of the station, and the Russians are taking over. I would not be surprised, in this age of hating America, that after our shuttles are retired, that the Russians decide to not take our astronauts into space.
That is a truly funny statement. As if the Russians would actually say no to taking out astronauts into space. Look, we are already in contracts we the Russians. NASA has one contract that lasts until 2014 and another (I think) that last a year two beyond that (to fill the gap until the HLV and Orion are ready, plus it'll give commercial suppliers more time).
Fact of the matter is we pay good money for the Russian rides to space. That is money the Russians want and need. It's the very reason space tourism exists in the first place, Russia needed the cash so they started selling seats on the Soyuz. The Russians make bank from the contracts with NASA and to think they will cut off that bread and butter is laughable.
Soon, perhaps within the next year or so, American commercial providers will very likely be able to transport our Astronauts to the ISS. SpaceX for example is already under contract to transport cargo and it won't really take much to make their Dragon capsule human-rated. It's already in the works.
And I don't really understand where you got the line "Russia would have done what we requested". I don't think that's entirely accurate. In any case, this specific instance requires the Progress cargo vessel to arrive, dock, and unload it's cargo in a specific timely manner. I would wager a guess that NASA wants that science experiment to succeed just as much as the Russians.
I think it's less of doing what the Russians want and more letting the purpose of the mission to decide the course of action - in this case a time sensitive experiment. I am all about America moving forward and taking the lead in science, technology and other areas. But if anything, I think this gives America more credibility by doing the right thing in regards to the mission at hand. I don't see the decision as the US bowing to Russia or anything so political, as much as cooperation in moving forward in Earthings' final frontier. I would like to think all astronauts who are so privileged to see Earth from up there as having aversion for the politics of space. Cooperation should be Earth's motto.
Well put Jason. Excellent comment.
This delay is of little operational or logistical consequence, except to you die-hard Red Baiters.
I'm glad Gabby has ten more days of recovery now , to give her a better chance to see Mark take'er up in splendid fashion .
Just think we're going to be dependent on the Russians soon for our rides into space. If they can't even be flexible on a progress launch then what is going to happen down the road?
Did you miss the part about the time sensitive experiment on board the progress vessel? It's not like they are simply being stubborn. There is a very clear reason they need to not "park" their vessel in orbit and wait for us. This is not a problem of "being flexible". This is more a problem of properly coordinating the scheduling of arrivals at the ISS.
I would have liked to see more in this article about why it is a "no-no" to have both this shuttle and the progress vessel docked at the same time.
Hiya Mob!
"I would have liked to see more in this article about why it is a "no-no" to have both this shuttle and the progress vessel docked at the same time."
There is a history of docking cargo vessels nearly, or indeed actually, bumping into the Mir station. (Just because it hasn't happened yet in the ISS program doesn't mean that it couldn't.) A cargo vessel bumping into the Shuttle would likely mean that the shuttle would no longer be considered a safe ride home.
You can find interesting articles and animations of the Progress cargo craft hitting Mir here.
Thanks Michael, that's about what I expected the reasoning to be. I suppose we can't always be prepared for accidents like that. So, just to make it clear, is it just an issue for the Shuttle? There are Soyuz capsule(s) docked as rides home and life-boats right? Those craft are there during cargo ship arrivals are they not?
Yes, just an issue for the Shuttle.
Yes, there are typically two Soyuz craft docked at any particular time.
Yes the Soyuz are there during cargo deliveries.
You got a hat trick!
The difference is - the Shuttle is a MUCH bigger target than Soyuz. Also, since the Shuttle is re-usable, if it is damaged then it is a much bigger loss to the program than if a use-once Soyuz is.