FLORIDA : Crew Breathing Easy After Shuttle Repair

Space shuttle Columbia’s patched-up life support system was working normally, allowing astronauts to continue research into the brain and nervous system, NASA officials at Kennedy Space Center said. “All of Columbia’s systems continue to function perfectly, including the revamped carbon dioxide removal system,” NASA’s mission control commentator Rob Navias said. The cabin air cleanser, which had failed, threatening to cut short the mission, was repaired by shuttle skipper Richard Searfoss using a screwdriver and tape. The shuttle’s eighth day of neurological research included spins for four crew members in a rotating chair to investigate how the balance system functions without the pull of gravity.