According to NASA, a hydrogen gas leak has now delayed the launch of US space shuttle discovery until at least Monday. NASA shuttle managers have scrubbed today's launch attempt of Discovery's STS-133 mission due to a hydrogen gas leak.Just before 6am this morning, the shuttle team started the three-hour fueling process, which adds about 535,000 gallons of liquid oxygen and hydrogen to the shuttle. About two hours into the process, however, NASA reported that shuttle managers were evaluating a gaseous hydrogen leak at the Ground Umbilical Center Plate (GUCP) that attaches to the external tank. The GUCP carries gaseous hydrogen safely away from the shuttle to a flare stack, where it burns off, according to NASA. Leaks and weather issues have delayed the shuttle launch several times throughout the week. The shuttle was initially scheduled to launch on Monday, but helium and nitrogen leaks in the pressurization portion of space shuttle pushed that to Tuesday.
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