Shuttle Plans Liftoff With a New Twist

In a space shuttle first, Columbia will roll from belly-up to belly-down six minutes after liftoff today while traveling about 13 times the speed of sound. The twist is designed to put the rocket ship in radio contact with communication satellites, thereby making NASA’s Bermuda tracking station unnecessary. Columbia will twist to keep its external fuel tank from obstructing the radio antenna that links the spaceship to NASA’s communication satellites. NASA stressed that the maneuver is safe and has been certified for emergency use ever since Columbia made the first shuttle flight in 1981. If the test goes well, NASA will close its Bermuda station, saving the space agency $5 million a year.