Space: A New Setback for the Shuttle

Design flaw in Challenger's engines forces another launch delay

Ever since last November, the new space shuttle Challenger has been perched proudly on its Florida pad, pointing skyward like an anxious eagle. Last week NASA officials gloomily conceded that their $1 billion bird may have to sit in its nest a while longer. The latest delay involves the most serious problem yet encountered with the troubled Challenger: a basic defect in design that requires overhauling all three of the main engines. Unless the flaw can be quickly corrected, the problem could create a horrendous...

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