Engineers Repair Circuitry, Plan to Test Booster Today

NASA and Morton Thiokol Inc. engineers Tuesday completed modifications to ground-control circuitry, clearing the way for today’s firing of the redesigned space shuttle booster rocket.

The second full-scale test-firing of the 126-foot-long rocket was aborted Saturday one second before firing after a series of computer, mechanical and ignition-control problems had delayed it for 2 1/2 hours.

But, on Tuesday, Morton Thiokol spokesman Rocky Raab said that all systems had checked out and prospects were good for firing the rocket, as planned, at a site 25 miles west of Brigham City.