Shuttle delayed

Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Hundreds of NASA engineers this week scrambled to resolve a technical problem that forced them to abort the first launch of a space shuttle since the Columbia disaster in 2003. The shuttle Discovery was two hours from liftoff when a fuel gauge malfunctioned. Repair teams were inspecting a suspect electronics box in the vehicle’s rear section, hoping to make what one official called a “lucky find” they could fix in time to send up the spacecraft while conditions permit in July. If that window closes, the launch will be delayed until September. “We are giving this the good old college try,” said deputy program director Wayne Hale.

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