NASA will delay the launch of space shuttle Discovery, the first shuttle to fly since the 2003 Columbia disaster, from May until July, because of safety concerns, a high-ranking NASA official told CNN Thursday night. Michael Griffin, NASA administrator, is to announce the delay Friday at a news conference at 10:30 a.m. The shuttle was to take off May 22, a delay from May 15. A July launch will have to be made between the 13th and 31st for conditions to be favorable. Discovery, with its two solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank attached to its belly, was being rolled from the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), a tedious, four-mile journey, the official said. NASA managers met Thursday and decided to temporarily halt the launch over concerns about the external fuel tank and the risk of falling debris, the official explained.
