Fortunately, a backup charge was able to separate the left booster two minutes into the flight as planned. Had the backup failed as well, both the shuttle and its crew would have been in grave danger, Nasa officials said. Although the cables on the Atlantis boosters were X-rayed before the shuttle was transported to the launch pad two weeks ago, they were not shaken as part of the testing. The shaking is meant to mimic the vibrations of launch. Over the weekend, Nasa tested thousands of cables throughout the shuttle fleet and four failed, which prompted renewed worries about the performance of the cables on Atlantis.
Destiny is the most sophisticated space laboratory ever built.
If the lab is damaged or destroyed, it would set back space station construction many years. The laboratory will support research into diseases such as cancer and diabetes, as well as studying the effects of microgravity and radiation. The results of these experiments will allow scientists to better understand our world and ourselves, and prepare us for future missions, perhaps to the Moon and Mars.