Shuttle Launch Delayed Until January

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - NASA has delayed the launch of
space shuttle Atlantis until January 10th to give workers time off at
Christmas.
After back-to-back delays caused by errant fuel gauges, shuttle
managers had been targeting a liftoff no earlier than January 2nd.
Launch attempts on December 6th and 9th were scuttled late in
the countdown after some of the hydrogen fuel gauges in Atlantis'
external fuel tank failed. The gauges are part of a backup safety
system to keep the main engines from running on an empty tank, a
potentially catastrophic situation.
A fueling test will be conducted Tuesday in hopes of determining
whether the problem is in the gauges or the 100 feet of circuitry
between the tank and shuttle. The launch date depends on how
quickly the trouble can be resolved.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)