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--> --> Atlantis chases down space station SPACE CENTER, Houston (AP) - Atlantis hurtled toward the international space today following the first launch of a space shuttle since early summer, when cracked fuel lines grounded the fleet. The shuttle is on a mission to deliver a 14-ton, $390 million girder that will continue the expansion of the orbiting outpost. The 45-foot-long, 15-foot-wide girder, crammed with wiring, plumbing, three radiators and a railroad cart, is part of a framework that eventually will stretch longer than a football field. Three spacewalks will be done by shuttle astronauts to install the girder. Atlantis, which launched Monday, was originally scheduled to takeoff in August, but was kept Earthbound by hairline cracks in the pipes that carry hydrogen fuel to the main engines. Similar damage was detected in all four space shuttles, and NASA ordered unprecedented welding repairs. Then the bearings in the Apollo-era platforms that haul the shuttles from the hangar to the Florida launch pad had to be replaced. However, Atlantis' problems weren't over yet. The possible threat last week by Hurricane Lili on Houston forced a five-day launch delay after Mission Control was shut down for the first time ever. On Sunday, a heater problem in a water-drainage line aboard Atlantis created another potential delay but engineers worked around the problem. NASA also had to scramble late in the countdown to replace a couple of fuses in a backup power supply on the aging launch platform. Potential bad weather Monday cleared up in time for liftoff. NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe called the shuttle's return to flight "a big deal" for the space agency. "It's been awhile coming but it's one for all the right reasons we've taken our time to make sure it's done right," O'Keefe said. The launch marked the debut of the shuttlecam, a color video camera secured near the top of Atlantis' external fuel tank. It beamed down live images as the shuttle flew over the Atlantic coastline. "It's the next best thing to actually being on board, and in some ways you get a view you never had, even if you are on board," said Jim Halsell, a shuttle manager and former shuttle commander. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing