Posted: Fri, Apr 5, 2002, 11:23 PM ET (0423 GMT)
NASA announced Friday that it would delay the launch of the shuttle Atlantis an additional day, to Monday, to allow more time to complete repairs of a hydrogen vent line that leaked on Thursday. The additional day is designed to give crews enough time to fix a cracked weld in a 40-cm diameter aluminum pipe that vents excess hydrogen during fueling of the shuttle's external tank. The weld cracked about an hour into the fueling process on Thursday, forcing NASA to delay the launch first until Friday, then until Sunday. NASA would not disclose the time of the launch, only saying that it is scheduled for between 2 and 6 pm EDT (1800 and 2200 GMT), but outside analysts have estimated the launch time to be 4:36 pm EDT (2036 GMT) based on the orbit of the International Space Station. Weather is forecast to be excellent in Florida, but poor weather conditions at all three transatlantic orbit landing sites could pose a problem for a Monday launch.

Related Links:

•  Reuters article
•  AP article
•  AviationNow article
•  SPACE.com special report
•  Spaceflight Now mission status center