NASA Delays Atlantis Launch Until January

After a controversial call to go ahead with the launch today of the problem-plagued Atlantis, NASA officials have now decided to delay the mission until at least January, Reuters reports. The decision was made when one of the two fuel sensors that failed before the abortive launch Thursday failed again today.

"We are off until no earlier than January 2," said a NASA spokesman. “We’re going to stand down for a couple of weeks and try to figure out this problem.” The sensors shut off the main engines when they sense the liquid nitrogen tanks are empty; a false shutoff before Atlantis reached orbit could result in a risky emergency landing or a catastrophic explosion. (More Atlantis Space Shuttle stories.)