NASA delays shuttle launch

NASA yesterday delayed the launch of the space shuttle Endeavour at least until the end of the week as work continues to resolve an electronics problem that scuttled Friday’s launch attempt, officials said.

NASA tried to launch Endeavour on Friday on its 25th and final flight to deliver the $2 billion Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer particle detector to the International Space Station.

A problem with a heating system on one of the ship’s hydraulic power generators prompted managers to stop the countdown. The heaters keep fuel from freezing in the line, preventing it from rupturing in the cold vacuum of space.