Columbia Put Behind Two Other Shuttles

NASA will delay a fifth launch attempt for the shuttle Columbia until at least late November, after the scheduled launches of the shuttles Discovery and Atlantis, the space agency announced Thursday.

NASA officials also are debating the possibility of delaying another fueling test for Columbia until after Discovery’s planned Oct. 5 liftoff because of problems in obtaining a fuel line valve to replace one that malfunctioned during the shuttle’s aborted fueling Monday.

“Discovery and Atlantis are operational orbiters with no known or suspected defects,” said William Lenoir, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s associate administrator for spaceflight. “Our highest priority is going to be to resume flights with Discovery and Atlantis as scheduled.”

He said a new launch date for Columbia will not be set until after a hydrogen leak is found and fixed.

Columbia was grounded Monday when hydrogen began building up in the shuttle’s engine compartment. Later, during a series of tests, a fuel line valve leading to main engine No. 2 would not close properly on command.