Computer glitch is fixed in time to launch 'Atlantis'

CAPE CANAVERAL -- Space shuttle Atlantis, grounded four days because of a leaking fuel line, overcame a last-minute computer glitch Monday and embarked on an 11-day mission to expand the international space station.

Gusting crosswinds and clouds threatened throughout the day, and three small planes briefly violated a restricted flying zone. But it was the computer problem that proved most serious.

Only 11 seconds remained in the 5-minute launch window when engineers completed reloading the computer, a backup system that relays critical shuttle information to the ground.

With a sustained roar, Atlantis departed Kennedy Space Center at 4:44 p.m., loaded with a $600-million truss that will provide power for future laboratories at the international space station.

The mission was supposed to begin Thursday, but was delayed when hydrogen fuel began leaking from an external vent line on the launch pad. A metal sleeve was welded over the damaged pipe on Saturday.

"You spent a few extra days in Florida, but it's time for you guys to take a ride," launch director Mike Leinbach told the astronauts shortly before liftoff. "So we wish you luck."

Monday's flight, the third since Sept. 11, was conducted under new NASA regulations intended to thwart terrorist activity.

The arrival and movements of the seven-member crew were guarded, and NASA delayed announcing the launch time, a first in the 21-year history of the shuttle program.

"We are living in a different world post Sept. 11," said Sean O'Keefe, NASA's top official. "And that means we will always be diligent to make this a less attractive or considered target on the part of anybody who will seek to gain our attention by doing something dramatic."

Three small planes violated the 40-mile restricted airspace, and F-15 fighter jets forced them to land. Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Mike Rein described the breaches as "inadvertent intrusions."

Atlantis, making its 25th flight, is expected to rendezvous with the orbiting international space station at 12:07 p.m. Wednesday.

After greeting the three-man team living aboard the station, the astronauts will begin preparing for the complex construction job that will require four spacewalks, each lasting 61/2 hours.

The 44-foot beam inside the shuttle's cargo bay resembles a giant jungle gym and has 475,000 parts, including electrical cabling, video cameras and computers.

It is the backbone of a cross truss that will eventually span the length of a football field and support solar panels and cooling systems for use by future laboratories.

To be completed by 2004, the truss also will function as the first space railroad. A track will run the span, allowing for easy movement of crew members and a Canadian-designed robot arm used for maintenance and future construction.

The shuttle also carried a $190-million rail car and an experimental plant growth chamber.

-- Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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