NASA delays launch of Atlantis

By Irene Klotz

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) – NASA postponed the
launch of the space shuttle Atlantis on Wednesday because of a
problem with a power system aboard the ship, officials with the
U.S. space agency said.

The launch of Atlantis on NASA’s first construction mission
to the International Space Station since the 2003 Columbia
accident had been planned for 12:29 p.m. (1629 GMT) Wednesday.
The next opportunity to fly would be at 12:03 p.m. (1603 GMT)
on Thursday.

“We’re delayed for 24 hours,” NASA spokeswoman Kim Newton
said.

Managers learned of the problem as they met early Wednesday
to review launch preparations and consider whether or not to
fuel the shuttle for a launch attempt.

They delayed the start of fueling to allow time for
technicians to trouble-shoot a power problem with one of the
three systems aboard the shuttle that produce electricity
during flight.

All three of the units must be working prior to launch.

When the problem was not cleared by 4 a.m. (0800 GMT),
which is the latest NASA could wait to begin fueling for
launch, managers delayed the flight.

The agency has Thursday and Friday for launch attempts
before facing a delay until late October when lighting and
other conditions will again be suitable for a flight to the
space station.

NASA had planned to launch Atlantis and its six-member crew
last week, but a lightning strike and a storm triggered a
series of postponements. The mission already has been delayed
more than three years while NASA recovered from the 2003
Columbia disaster.

Since the accident, which claimed the lives of seven
astronauts, NASA has flown two test missions to check safety
improvements made after the disaster. Atlantis’ flight is the
first of 16 missions planned to complete assembly of the
station by 2010, when the shuttles are expected to be retired.

The shuttle will deliver a second pair of solar arrays to
the station and a huge rotary joint so the panels can track the
sun. The mission, which includes three complicated spacewalks,
is targeted to last 11 days.