Dec 4 1998
From The Space Library
Space News for this day. (4MB PDF)
After a one-day delay, Space Shuttle Endeavour launched from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Cape Canaveral, Florida, carrying Commander Robert D. Cabana, Pilot Frederick W. “Rick” Sturckow, and Mission Specialists Nancy J. Currie, Jerry L. Ross, James H. Newman, and Sergei K. Krikalev. The purpose of STS-88 was to connect the U.S.-built Unity module of the ISS to the first ISS component, Zarya. The Russian Space Agency had placed Zarya in orbit in November. Launch controllers had scrubbed the liftoff of Endeavour planned for 3 December, after the master alarm sounded in the cockpit with only 4½ minutes remaining in the 10-minute countdown window. Engineers had determined that the alarm indicated momentary low pressure in the hydraulics system. The crew experienced no problems with the second launch, until another alarm sounded shortly after they had reached orbit, indicating that one of three hydraulic power units had overheated. The crew then switched to a backup controller to allow the overheated unit to cool before shutting down each unit as planned.
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