NASA calls off Endeavour's launch because of oxygen leak

<br>CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) _ With just two hours remaining in the countdown Sunday night, NASA called off the launch of space shuttle Endeavour because of an oxygen leak. <br><br>The seven astronauts

Sunday, November 10th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) _ With just two hours remaining in the countdown Sunday night, NASA called off the launch of space shuttle Endeavour because of an oxygen leak.

The seven astronauts had already begun boarding the spaceship when mission managers delayed the flight by at least one day, possibly much longer. A small leak had cropped up in the system that provides breathing oxygen for the crew during launch and landing, and engineers feared it could worsen.

Commander James Wetherbee had just strapped in.

``I'd like to welcome you aboard, Wex, but tonight's not our night,'' test director Steve Altemus said. He informed Wetherbee that there was no immediate word on when NASA might try again.

``I know you guys are going to be disappointed, but I think we want to give you a healthy vehicle before we cut you loose from the cape here,'' the controller said.

Wetherbee replied: ``Absolutely.''

Earlier Sunday, NASA had loaded hundreds of thousands of gallons of fuel into the shuttle for a middle-of-the-night delivery run to the international space station. Launch had been scheduled for 12:58 a.m. Monday.

Once it takes off, Endeavour will carry up a fresh three-man crew to replace the current space station occupants, who have been on board since June and should have been back by now. The shuttle also holds a $390 million girder that will be installed on the station by a spacewalking team.

It will be NASA's second shuttle flight in as many months and, in many ways, is a replica. An almost identical 14-ton beam was attached to the orbiting outpost in October; this one will be hooked to the opposite side of the long aluminum framework.

The one American and two Russian space station residents marked their 158th day in orbit Sunday. On Saturday, they said goodbye to three cosmonauts who dropped off a new Russian lifeboat and returned to Earth in the old one.

Peggy Whitson, the space station's science officer, and her two male crewmates were supposed to come home last month, but their mission was extended because of the summerlong grounding of the shuttle fleet.

For Whitson, one of the toughest adjustments to space life was the food; the menu repeats every eight days and consists almost entirely of canned or rehydrated cuisine. She said she's looking forward to rich foods and lots of sauces once Endeavour brings her back to Earth.

Replacing Whitson and her crewmates will be Americans Kenneth Bowersox and Donald Pettit and Russian Nikolai Budarin. Pettit, originally an understudy, was assigned to the four-month mission over the summer when the prime science officer was grounded by doctors because of an undisclosed medical issue.

Endeavour's crew also includes John Herrington, the first American Indian astronaut and part of the Chickasaw Nation. About 200 members of the tribe were on hand for his launch.

By the time Endeavour's 11-day flight is over, NASA will have hauled up 90,000 pounds of space station equipment this year, said shuttle program manager Ron Dittemore. Shuttle crews also will have conducted 18 spacewalks in 2002, the most for a single year.