Drat for Rats, Columbia Liftoff Is Scrubbed Again

A communication receiver failed hours before the shuttle Columbia was scheduled to lift off Friday, forcing NASA to scrap its second launch attempt in two days.

“We’re going to fly you one of these days. Just hang in there,” launch director Bob Sieck told the seven astronauts.

The launch was rescheduled for Monday.

The scrub Friday means premature deaths for the 48 rats aboard Columbia because they must be replaced with a new batch for the next launch attempt.

Instead of being decapitated and dissected near the end of the 14-day flight or soon afterward, the rats will be removed from the shuttle and killed today, officials said. About half of the corpses were promised to a rehabilitation program for birds of prey. The rest will be discarded because radioactive isotopes were injected in them for the flight.

Columbia’s voyage--the longest ever planned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration--is intended to help scientists develop measures for counteracting the rigors of space travel. Numerous tests are planned on the astronauts and the rats.

Rain was a problem Friday, but that was overshadowed by the failed communication receiver. NASA officials considered stowing a spare receiver in Columbia for the astronauts to install in orbit but decided it was too risky to let the shuttle lift off with just one operating unit. The units link the shuttle with flight controllers on the way up and down, and carry voice and computer data, including crucial engine information.