NASA schedules Friday shuttle launch

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Sept. 7 (UPI) -- NASA says it plans a Friday morning launch for Space Shuttle Atlantis at Cape Canaveral, Fla.

The shuttle had been expected to lift-off Wednesday, but a problem in one of the spacecraft's electricity-producing fuel cells resulted in a postponement.

Shuttle program managers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center decided Thursday they had a "go" for launch, with lift-off expected Friday at 11:41 a.m. EDT.

During a Thursday evening news conference Wayne Hale, Space Shuttle Program manager, said the decision to fly came about after a "lively" and inclusive afternoon meeting with space shuttle mission managers and engineers.

"If you ever wanted to see the difference between the old NASA and the new NASA, you should've been over there today," Hale told reporters. "There was a chance for everyone to participate."

Hale said the final decision to fly Friday was "nearly unanimous."

The decision to launch followed an analysis of the fuel cell problem, which was discovered during pre-launch preparations earlier this week. NASA said its engineers determined any failure of the suspect fuel cell during the mission would pose no danger to Atlantis or its crew.