Space Shuttle Readied for More Fueling Tests
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — Columbia, the shuttle plagued with mechanical problems since April, was pulled from its hangar again Saturday night for a trip to the launch pad.
In late October, Columbia will undergo the first of what may be several fueling tests. If the shuttle passes, its mission to deploy the $150-million Astro observatory could get under way in December.
The move was Columbia’s sixth since April 22, when it was first rolled out for a scheduled May 30 mission. Hydrogen leaks scrubbed that launch, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration did not get a shuttle in orbit until Discovery took off Oct. 6 with the Ulysses solar probe.
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