NASA prepared to attempt launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA plans to launch the first space shuttle flight in 2 1/2 years, even if it is plagued by the same fuel gauge problem that halted the previous countdown two weeks ago, officials said Sunday.

Discovery is set to lift off Tuesday at 7:39 PDT, the same time Columbia took off on its doomed mission in 2003.

Deputy shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said the fuel gauge problem has been a vexing one – engineers still don’t know exactly what caused it – and he’s repeatedly asked himself, “Are we taking care enough to do it right?”

“Based on the last 10 days’ worth of effort, the huge number of people and the tremendous number of hours that have been spent in testing and analysis, I think that we’re coming to the right place,” he said.

At an evening news conference, Hale and other NASA officials found themselves defending the decision to launch with a fuel gauge failure. They stressed that they will proceed with a liftoff only if the problem is well understood and involves the gauges in question – anything else will result in a postponement.

NASA’s own launch rule – in place since the 1986 Challenger disaster – requires that all four hydrogen fuel gauges in the external tank be working properly. Going with three out of four would result in a “deviation” of the rule, Hale told reporters.

“I am committed – and I think the whole team is committed – to doing this in a safe manner,” Hale said. “I think we’re all still struggling a little bit with the ghost of Columbia, and therefore we want to make sure we do it right.”

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said he supports the decision. He acknowledged that the public might perceive that the space agency is rushing to launch, but insisted it was the right technical judgment.

“These are rather arcane matters, I would admit. They’re rather difficult and sometimes they don’t always present well,” Griffin said. “But in the long run, I think if it’s the right thing, we can explain it to you, and you want us doing what’s right, not what necessarily is obvious or popular.”