NASA Calls Off Atlantis Launch
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA called off yesterday’s launch of space shuttle Atlantis after a pair of fuel gauges in its big external tank failed to work properly, a recurring problem ever since the Columbia disaster.
Shuttle managers said they would try again Friday, provided the trouble can be resolved quickly. Preliminary indications are that the problem might be with an open circuit rather than with the gauges themselves — perhaps a spliced line or bad connector — which would be easier to fix.
“We’re keeping all our options open,” said launch director Doug Lyons.
