Safety fear scuttles shuttle launch

The launch of space shuttle Columbia will be delayed until engineers determine the cause of minuscule cracks found on two other shuttles.

The launch was planned for July 19 and no new date has been announced. Nasa said the delay should only be a few weeks.

Columbia is scheduled to carry Ilan Ramon, Israel’s first astronaut, and six Americans on a 16 day scientific research mission.

The cracks were found on shuttles Atlantis and Discovery inside the main propulsion system’s propellant lines, said the US space agency.

The cracks were first found on Atlantis last week. A weekend check of Discovery found similar cracks.