Nasa is investigating the apparent sabotage of a computer due to be flown to the International Space Station on the Endeavour space shuttle next month. The US space agency said the damage to wiring in a network box was intentional and obvious, but said it could be repaired before take-off on 7 August. Nasa stressed that the lives of its astronauts had not been put at risk. Nasa's Associate Administrator for Space Operations, William Gerstenmaier, said the apparent sabotage of a non-essential computer had been discovered earlier this month. "The damage is very obvious, easy to detect," he told reporters. "It's not a mystery to us." Mr Gerstenmaier said wires had been found cut inside the unit before it had been loaded onto the shuttle. The computer is designed to collect and relay data from sensors which detect vibrations and forces on the space station's external trusses.
"It's currently being investigated by the [Nasa] inspector general's office," he added. The equipment had been supplied by a sub-contractor. Mr Gerstenmaier said engineers would try to repair the hardware before take-off in two weeks' time, but that the mission would not be delayed. The damage is believed to be the first act of sabotage of flight equipment Nasa has discovered.