Posted: Fri, Dec 14, 2007, 7:23 AM ET (1223 GMT)
NASA has further delayed the launch of the next space shuttle mission to allow workers more time off during the holidays, the space agency announced Thursday. The launch of the shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-122 is now slated for January 10, eight days later than what NASA announced on Sunday when it canceled any attempt to launch the shuttle this month. The delay will allow workers to take time off during Christmas and New Years, which shuttle managers considered important given the high workloads crews have been under during last week's launch scrubs. The delay won't affect plans to conduct a tanking test of the orbiter's external tank, scheduled for Tuesday, in an effort to track down the cause of the sensor problems that scrubbed two launch attempts last Thursday and Sunday.

Related Links:

•  CBS News/Spaceflight Now article
•  AFP article
•  AP article
•  NASA press release