Officials should decide on Monday whether concerns over a damaged fuel injector will delay the next launch of NASA's space shuttle.
Thursday's planned launch of Discovery would transport a new crew to the international space station and return the current crew to Earth.
The suspect fuel injector is part of the hydraulic steering mechanism that directs the thrust of the solid rocket boosters. Failure of the component could cause catastrophic steering problems during the first few minutes of flight.
Engineers discovered a bent and cracked fuel injector during a routine test of booster components that had flown on past shuttle missions. The equivalent part on Discovery came from the same production lot.
Initially engineers feared the damage was caused by a manufacturing defect or wear, perhaps aggravated by repeated splashdowns in the Atlantic after the boosters are jettisoned. This would raise serious safety questions about Discovery's injector.
However, additional analysis suggests the bent injector could have been damaged by handling on the ground. In this case, the injector on Discovery could be safe. Its most recent inspection revealed no sign of bending. NASA officials have already met twice to discuss whether the fuel injector should be replaced, but put off a final decision on both occasions pending further tests.
Officials will confer again at 1400 EDT on Monday to make a final decision. Replacing the injector could delay the launch by a week or more.
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18:53 05 September 2008
