Wind gusts and sticky fuel valves conspired to keep Nasa's new Orion spacecraft on the launch pad on Thursday, delaying a crucial test flight meant to revitalize human exploration.
Nasa promised to try again Friday morning.
The space agency's new countdown clock got a workout as problem after problem cropped up in the final four minutes, and the count switched back and forth.
A stray boat in the launch-danger zone kicked things off badly. Then excessive wind twice halted the countdown, followed by valve trouble on the unmanned Delta IV rocket that could not be fixed in time. Declining battery power in the rocket's video camera system reinforced the decision to quit for the day.
Orion is how Nasa hopes to one day send astronauts to Mars. This inaugural flight, while just 4 hours, will send the unmanned capsule 3,600 miles (5,800 kilometres) into sp
ace
Nasa promised to try again Friday morning.
The space agency's new countdown clock got a workout as problem after problem cropped up in the final four minutes, and the count switched back and forth.
A stray boat in the launch-danger zone kicked things off badly. Then excessive wind twice halted the countdown, followed by valve trouble on the unmanned Delta IV rocket that could not be fixed in time. Declining battery power in the rocket's video camera system reinforced the decision to quit for the day.
Orion is how Nasa hopes to one day send astronauts to Mars. This inaugural flight, while just 4 hours, will send the unmanned capsule 3,600 miles (5,800 kilometres) into sp
ace
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