NASA inspectors have found a crack in the foam insulation of space shuttle Discovery's fuel tank.
"It's in the insulation near a bracket on the external fuel tank," a NASA spokeswoman said. The crack was found during a routine inspection overnight, and managers are meeting today to decide how the crack might affect tomorrow's launch
NASA was scheduled to launch Discoveryon a make-or-break mission to the International Space Station. It would be just the second shuttle launch since the destruction of Columbiaand the deaths of seven crew, an accident caused by insulating foam breaking off the fuel tank.
NASA has spent $1.3 billion over the last three years to attempt to fix the foam problem and to make safety upgrades to the shuttle, which is scheduled for retirement in 2010.
Another big problem with the shuttle on this mission could bring a premature end to the shuttle programme and leave the $100-billion space station unfinished.
Bad weather at the Florida launch site forced managers to postpone launch attempts on Saturday and yesterday.