Hurricane Rita strengthened into a Category 3 storm with 115 mph winds early today after lashing the Florida Keys and sparking anxiety as it headed into the Gulf of Mexico.

A fuel sensor system on Discovery’s external tank passed its first test early today as Nasa began fuelling the space shuttle for the first launch attempt since the doomed Columbia flight two and a half years ago.

The US presidential helicopter flew low over destroyed homes, downed power lines and uprooted trees today,as George W. Bush and his brother, Florida Governor Jeb Bush got a bird’s eye view of the destruction caused by Hurricane Charley.