Space Flight Delayed to Add Insulation

NASA installed insulation on space shuttle Columbia’s water pipes, delaying its launch by a day to prevent possible damage from the freezing cold of space. The shuttle is now scheduled to lift off with seven astronauts and 33 laboratory experiments on Friday. The space agency realized only this week that 3-foot sections of two coolant loops on Columbia lacked thermal blankets, said shuttle operations director Bob Sieck. The fear is that water in the exposed lines might freeze in orbit, causing the shuttle electronics to overheat and forcing an early landing. Although the shuttle has flown safely before without the insulation--in fact, Columbia may have been without it since 1983, Sieck said--Columbia’s flight this time is longer than usual, at 16 days.