NASA on Friday postponed for at least 24 hours the latest attempt to launch the space shuttle Columbia.
The delay is to allow inspection of Columbia’s engines after a crack was found in a test engine, a space agency spokesman said.
Columbia, the oldest shuttle, had been scheduled to lift off Saturday morning.
NASA discovered a 2-inch crack on a shuttle test engine at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi.
The small defect, which could cause an explosion or engine shutdown, raised the possibility that there may be similar cracks on Columbia’s three engine ducts.
Columbia has been prepared and ready for launch since Sept. 28.
But NASA has had to scrub four launch attempts because of a leaky valve, Hurricane Opal, a hydraulic problem and a computer glitch.
