Nation briefs 3/10/03

Astronauts may have tried to override autopilot

HOUSTON -- An attempt may have been made to override Columbia's autopilot in the final few seconds of its doomed flight, according to information received Sunday by the space shuttle's accident investigation board.

But, as an official close to the investigation stressed: "The data are really suspect. They can't ensure the integrity of any of the data, and some of the stuff that they're saying may be inaccurate or misinterpreted."

A NASA spokeswoman, Eileen Hawley, said the possible attempted override could have been unintentional; in other words, one of the pilots may have bumped the stick.

ABC News reported Sunday evening that data showed one of the crew may have tried to take over the space shuttle before its destruction above Texas on Feb. 1.

For weeks, in an attempt to reconstruct what went wrong during Columbia's re-entry, NASA and other experts have been analyzing data that were transmitted in the final 32 seconds of flight. The last two seconds of data, which follow 25 seconds of nothing, indicate that there was an input to disengage the autopilot system, the official said.

Bad weather delays launch of military satelliteCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Sunday's launch of an unmanned Delta IV rocket, to be the first U.S. space launch since the loss of the shuttle Columbia, has been postponed again, this time because of high winds.

The launch was originally scheduled for Feb. 7, but was postponed out of respect for Columbia's seven astronauts.

It has been postponed three times since, first on Feb. 10 because of an engine problem, and again Saturday night after a fuel pump problem and countdown glitch were discovered.

Besides winds, heavy rains were also forecast for the Cape Canaveral area during Sunday's launch-time window.

The rocket is to carry an Air Force satellite that will be part of a national security communications network that relay secure data to the White House, U.S. embassies and military personnel.

The launch has been tentatively rescheduled for this evening.

Survey: U.S. gas prices at near-record level

CAMARILLO, Calif. -- Gasoline supply problems in California contributed to a 5-cent per gallon increase in the national average over the past two weeks, an industry analyst said.

The average weighted price for gas, including all grades and taxes, was about $1.75 per gallon Friday, according to the Lundberg Survey of 8,000 stations nationwide. That is within 2 cents of $1.77, the all-time high recorded by the survey on May 18, 2001.

But not all consumers were paying that much; some parts of the country enjoyed stability while California's pump prices jumped almost 14 cents from Feb. 21 to March 7.

Some California refineries are changing over to a more expensive blend of gasoline and ethanol, which temporarily cut the state's gasoline supply by 10 percent, officials said.

The nation's highest price for self-serve regular gasoline was $2.10 in San Francisco. The lowest was about $1.51 in Atlanta, according to the survey.

Tour bus hits second tour bus in California

BAKER, Calif. -- One tour bus crashed into another on a California interstate Sunday, injuring 105 people, some critically, authorities said.

The crash happened shortly before 4 p.m. on southbound Interstate 15, a main artery from Las Vegas, shutting down southbound lanes and slowing northbound traffic.

Injuries ranged from minor to critical and passengers were being taken to nearby hospitals, said California Highway Patrol Officer Adam Cortinas.

He said buses were arriving from Clark County, Nev. and helicopters were flying from Fort Irwin to help ambulances and medical helicopters transport the injured.

It was not immediately clear what caused the crash, Cortinas said.

-- From wire reports