Atlantis Scrubbed Again

Posted Dec 9, 2007 by Kurt Loft

Updated Dec 9, 2007 at 08:31 AM

TAMPA – It doesn’t take much to ground the world’s most sophisticated flying machine.

At 7:24 a.m. today, NASA scrubbed the launch of Atlantis after one of four fuel sensors failed. The same problem kept the seven astronauts on the pad for Thursday’s planned liftoff.

Now, mission managers must scramble to find out why these relatively simple, dependable gauges keep fluttering. The sensors tell computers how much fuel is flowing to the shuttle’s three main engines. Faulty readings during flight could result in a catastrophic accident, one reason they are considered “critical” hardware.

If NASA can’t fix the problem during testing this week, it will hold off on another launch attempt until January. The Atlantis mission carries a European built science lab that will be attached to the International Space Station.

KURT LOFT