After a fuel gauge issue aboard the shuttle Atlantis caused NASA to delay the shuttle's launch indefinitely, an electrical launch-pad test will take place sometime next week to pinpoint the location of the problem.  The U.S. space agency was forced to delay its last manned launch of the year at least four weeks due to the problematic hydrogen fuel gauges.  

Technicians will try to find the exact problem by filling the shuttle's fuel tank with liquid hydrogen as several fuel gauges monitor where the problem begins.  Researchers will also spend time in the lab while testing cables and other electronics used in the fuel gauge system.

During the failed launch last week in Florida, only two of four gauges worked normally -- NASA typically requires three gauges work normally before lifting off.  Even though it is known NASA will not attempt to launch Atlantis before Jan. 2, an exact date will be chosen pending the outcome of the tests.

The Airship Ventures Company plans to use a modern-day Zeppelin so customers will be able to pay to take a tour of the Bay Area 500 to 1,000 ft. in the air.  For a fee ranging between $250 and 500 per ride, customers will be able to see the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Coit Tower, and other Bay Area attractions that most people get to view only from the ground.  The Zeppelin would likely be stored in a hanger located at the NASA Moffett Air Field in Mountain View, Calif.  If all goes according to Airship Ventures plans, tourists can take to the air by October 2008.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Hinode satellite, launched in September 2006, finally is returning images and videos of the sun and Mercury.  The satellite is now helping scientists learn more about the magnetic field around the sun, along with possible origins of solar wind.