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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
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| Further delay for space shuttle | Further delay for space shuttle |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Nasa has postponed the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis due to a technical problem with the spacecraft's onboard power supply, officials say. | Nasa has postponed the launch of the space shuttle Atlantis due to a technical problem with the spacecraft's onboard power supply, officials say. |
| Atlantis had been scheduled for a 1229 EDT (1629 GMT) lift-off on Wednesday from Florida's Kennedy Space Center. | Atlantis had been scheduled for a 1229 EDT (1629 GMT) lift-off on Wednesday from Florida's Kennedy Space Center. |
| The space agency said it would now try to launch the shuttle on Thursday. | The space agency said it would now try to launch the shuttle on Thursday. |
| Officials said the launch had been scrubbed because one of the three fuel cells providing electricity to the shuttle did not function well. | Officials said the launch had been scrubbed because one of the three fuel cells providing electricity to the shuttle did not function well. |
| "Nasa has scrubbed the launch for 24 hours," said a spokesman for the US space agency. | "Nasa has scrubbed the launch for 24 hours," said a spokesman for the US space agency. |
| Two previous launch attempts have been delayed because of a lightning strike and Tropical Storm Ernesto. | Two previous launch attempts have been delayed because of a lightning strike and Tropical Storm Ernesto. |
| Construction job | |
| Atlantis is on a mission to resume construction of the International Space Station, which was halted following the Columbia disaster in 2003. | Atlantis is on a mission to resume construction of the International Space Station, which was halted following the Columbia disaster in 2003. |
| The shuttle's six-strong crew will deliver and fit the P3/P4 truss, a 17-tonne segment of the space station's "backbone" that includes a huge set of solar arrays and a giant rotary joint to allow them to track the Sun. | The shuttle's six-strong crew will deliver and fit the P3/P4 truss, a 17-tonne segment of the space station's "backbone" that includes a huge set of solar arrays and a giant rotary joint to allow them to track the Sun. |
| The arrays will be the second of four sets, and will span 73m (240ft) when fully extended. | The arrays will be the second of four sets, and will span 73m (240ft) when fully extended. |
| They will provide power for three science laboratories, two living chambers and other systems onboard the ISS. They effectively double the station's current ability to generate power from sunlight. | They will provide power for three science laboratories, two living chambers and other systems onboard the ISS. They effectively double the station's current ability to generate power from sunlight. |
| The half-built $100bn (£52bn) space station must be completed before 2010, when the shuttle fleet is due to be retired. | The half-built $100bn (£52bn) space station must be completed before 2010, when the shuttle fleet is due to be retired. |