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U.S. GOVERNMENT 1: NASA Delays Discovery Launch

The first scheduled launch of a shuttle flight since the Columbia disaster was cancelled due to a faulty fuel tank sensor, pushing back the long-awaited take-off for a few more days.

On July 13, 2005, NASA officials discovered a fuel gauge on the space shuttle Discovery that misread the tank as full when it was empty. The decision to call off the launch came less than two and a half hours before lift-off while seven astronauts were boarding the craft.

The space agency’s chief said the mission has been postponed to at least Monday, July 18, 2005. Officials think the problem could be with the sensor itself, the cables or the electronics aboard Discovery.

Officials said the problem involved one of the external fuel tanks four engine cutoff sensors. These sensors are responsible for making sure the shuttle’s main engines are shut down at the right moment during the launch.

NASA experienced similar problems with its spacecraft during trials in April. A scrubbed mission costs NASA $616,000 in fuel and labor.

Columbia disintegrated as it was coming into Earth on February 1, 2003, killing the seven astronauts on board. NASA then suspended all shuttle flights until an investigation was complete.

--Written by Leah Williams

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