Shuttle flight delays O.K.

Florida Today, Melbourne: NASA managers continue huddling on when to launch Discovery on the first of five scheduled shuttle missions this year.

The delays — the ship was set to fly Feb. 12 but might not get off the ground until April — are frustrating. But they also reflect a good thing:

Shuttle managers, concerned about newly found problems with fuel line valves, are playing it safe until engineers are confident it’s OK to light the engines.

Flight safety

That’s exactly what they should do, showing the commitment to flight safety they promised after the shuttle Columbia disaster six years ago this month.

Managers held a marathon meeting and decided to give engineers more “breathing room” to analyze information and come up with answers, including a valve redesign, before considering another launch date.

Another fatal accident would be a mortal political wound for NASA and its moon exploration program, meaning safety must remain paramount.

Shuttle managers know that, too, and it has undoubtedly been on their minds as they’ve wrestled with Discovery’s problem.