NASA approves August 27 Atlantis launch

NASA managers unanimously picked August 27 for the first attempt to launch the space shuttle Atlantis on a mission to resume construction of the international space station - but two precariously attached bolts securing a crucial antenna could delay those plans.

Engineers suspect that two of the bolts are too short on the KU-band antenna, which transmits images and other essential data between the space shuttle and Mission Control.

They want to make sure the bolts are secure enough so that the antenna does not fly off while in the payload bay during a launch, which could cause catastrophic damage.

"We're not going to fly if we think there's a possibility the antenna will come off," said NASA Administrator Michael Griffin.