Weather, Technical Issues Caused 24-Hour Postponement

The long-awaited first flight of NASA's Orion spacecraft was scrubbed at about 0934 EST Thursday morning after a series of delays caused by weather and then technical problems with the ULA Delta IV Heavy booster.

Initially, winds gusting above the acceptable threshold for launch prevented the rocket from boosting the unmanned Orion capsule into orbit. Then an issue with fill and drain valves on two of the three boosters on the Delta IV Heavy booster caused further delays.

But the final call came after launch directors determined that low batteries on the boosters video system should be saved for a launch attempt Friday, according to NASA TV.

The launch window was set to closed at 0944 EST.

NASA has rescheduled the launch for Friday morning in approximately the same window. Launch directors will use the time to evaluate the issues that cropped up during Thursday's attempt, and the agency said it is hopeful that EFT-1 can lift off about 24 hours late. The launch window opens at 0705 EST Friday.

When the spacecraft does fly, it will carry some personal belongings of astronaut Sally Ride. NASA announced that the maiden flight of the Orion spacecraft will carry both the STS-7 crew patch Dr. Sally Ride wore when she became the first American woman to fly in space, as well as an excerpt from The Mystery of Mars, a children’s book by Dr. Ride and Dr. Tam O’Shaughnessy. The flight test is scheduled for Thursday, December 4, 2014.

“When Sally became the first American woman to soar into space, she captured the nation’s imagination as a symbol of the ability of women to break barriers,” said Dr. O’Shaughnessy. “But Sally’s historic flight represented just one aspect of a remarkable life—she was also a physicist, a science writer, and an inspirational advocate for science literacy.”

“It is only fitting that NASA’s Orion spacecraft—designed to carry humans to deep space and eventually to Mars—carry her STS-7 crew patch and an excerpt from The Mystery of Mars on its maiden flight,” said Dr. O’Shaughnessy, who—in addition to co-authoring The Mystery of Mars (among other books) with Dr. Ride—is a cofounder and CEO of Sally Ride Science.

(Image captured from NASA TV)

FMI: www.nasa.gov