Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Fuel Leak Stalls Scheduled Launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis

Aired April 04, 2002 - 12:56   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: A fuel leak stalled a scheduled launch today of the space shuttle Atlantis.

CNN's John Zarrella is at the Kennedy Space Center with more on the problem, and the chances of launching Atlantis perhaps tomorrow -- John.

JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, hopefully, we will have the answer to that question about 3:00 this afternoon. NASA will hold a briefing on status of Atlantis. Right now, engineers are continuing to safe the vehicle out at the launch pad. It was considered a hazardous situation. Atlantis is sitting now empty on the launch pad.

About 8:00 a.m. this morning, they started tanking the giant external tank with half a million gallons of liquid hydrogen and oxygen. About 9:27, they stopped that tanking procedure, and NASA released some videotape that shows pretty graphically what happened. That's called a Mobile launch platform there, in which the shuttle sits on top of, and you can see what is spewing out of that line there is liquid hydrogen. It comes from the fuel tanks, flows through that, into the shuttle from the fuel farm, and that's really a vent line. It is venting out excess liquid hydrogen so that there is no pressure buildups.

It looks like they may sprung a leak in a well there. Don't know exactly how long it will take to get that fixed. Again, should know later this afternoon, but it was considered a hazardous situation. The area was cleared and safed out there at the launch pad, and again, in about two hours, may know if Atlantis will be able to get off the ground tomorrow, or if it will be a longer delay before the seven astronauts can make their trip to the space station alpha, in what is considering a building block mission to continue expanding that space station.

John Zarrella, reporting live from the Kennedy Space Center, in Florida -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks a lot, John.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com