Space Shuttle
Space shuttle Discovery stands ready at pad39a in the early morning hours before a scheduled evening launch at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral...
Space shuttle Discovery stands ready at pad39a in the early morning hours before a scheduled evening launch at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Wednesday, March 11, 2009. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
APTOPIX Space Shuttle
A full moon begins to set as the space shuttle Discovery sits on Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-A before sunrise Wednesday morning March 11, 20...
A full moon begins to set as the space shuttle Discovery sits on Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-A before sunrise Wednesday morning March 11, 2009 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Discovery and her crew of seven astronauts is making final preparations for this evening's planned liftoff on a 14-day mission to the international space station. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
NASA has postponed the launch of space shuttle Discovery because of a gas leak.
The leak of gaseous hydrogen occurred as the launch team was filling the external fuel tank for liftoff tonight. The seven astronauts had yet to board the spaceship.
Discovery's flight to the international space station is already two weeks late because of concern about hydrogen gas valves in the engine compartment.
NASA officials say the leak occurred in plumbing outside of the shuttle and had nothing to do with those valves.
Shuttle officials are now shooting for a launch on Thursday night.
