NASA delays Atlantis shuttle launch by a month

NASA yesterday delayed the launch of space shuttle Atlantis until January after a gauge in the fuel tank failed for the second time in four days.

With only days remaining in the launch window for the shuttle’s mission to the international space station, senior managers decided to stand down until next month in hopes of better understanding the perplexing and persistent fuel gauge problem.

The trouble with the gauge resurfaced at sunrise yesterday, an hour after the launch team began filling Atlantis’ external tank for an afternoon liftoff.