Faulty Device Threatens to Halt Rescheduled Shuttle Launching

NASA resolved a last-minute technical glitch with the shuttle Atlantis, then had to call off Thursday’s scheduled launching because of bad weather. Later, more equipment trouble struck.

The new problem involved electronics gear in the crew cabin, six hours after the launching had been rescheduled for 8:02 a.m. PDT today. The electrical problem could further delay liftoff.

“It could very well go either way,” said Karl Kristofferson, a National Aeronautics and Space Administration spokesman.

Officials had to decide by the start of fueling whether to proceed with the launching. The faulty device is supposed to translate commands between the shuttle’s main computers and the spacecraft’s main cargo, a communications satellite.

Thursday’s scrub was the third delay for the five shuttle astronauts. The first two delays were caused by failed parts.

Launching director Bob Sieck held the countdown clock at the nine-minute mark so engineers could study a problem with one of numerous vent valves in the crew cabin. The valve, needed to maintain cabin pressure, did not appear to be closing properly.

Engineers determined that the valve was fine and that an indicator switch was giving false readings. But, just as mission managers cleared the shuttle for flight, the wind picked up and thunderstorms moved into the area. Sieck gave up for the day when it became apparent that the weather was going to worsen.