NASA tackles fuel-sensor problems

0 Comments | USA TODAY, January, 2008 | by Traci Watson

NASA is finally getting a break.

New test results have revealed why fuel sensors on the space shuttle are misbehaving, a problem that has baffled engineers and forced the delay of six launches since mid-2005, including Atlantis' liftoff Dec. 6. The breakthrough clears the way for Atlantis to try to launch Feb. 7, as NASA officials had hoped.

The problem: a loose electrical plug in circuits that carry the signals from sensors that tell NASA whether the shuttle's fuel tank is about to run dry. Final quality testing started over the weekend on a redesigned electrical plug that engineers believe will solve the problem. One already has been installed in the shuttle's fuel tank, and technicians hoped to finish patching the tank's surface at the installation site...