US space shuttle computer sabotaged: NASA

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WASHINGTON (AFP) - A computer due to be installed on the US space shuttle Endeavour for an August mission was found to be sabotaged, the US space agency NASA said on Thursday

One of our subcontractors noticed that a network box for the shuttle had appeared to be tampered with," NASA spokeswoman Katherine Trinidad told AFP. "It is intentional damage to hardware."

Endeavour is due to be launched on August 7 from the NASA base at Cape Canaveral in Florida for a mission to the International Space Station.

The workers who discovered the damage to the computer equipment intended for Endeavour notified NASA "several days ago," Trinidad said. "There is an ongoing investigation."

Safety is a major concern in US shuttle missions after damage sustained by the Columbia craft on launching caused it to break up on re-entry in February 2003, killing all seven astronauts on board.