With questions about safety still surrounding the space shuttle, NASA has announced a one week delay in the launch date with the possibility that the mission could be delayed even more if safety issues cannot be resolved. The new target date: May 22 at 1:03 PM EDT.

Wayne Hale, the deputy manager of the shuttle program told reporters that safety would come first. 'While it would be nice and we're certainly working toward May, we're going to launch when we're ready to launch and not before,' Hale explained.

A dress rehearsal featuring the complete crew is scheduled for May 4. Even if that goes well, safety concerns raised after the Columbia disaster must still be addressed. The shuttle must now be launched only in daylight and there is a small window for launch times so the shuttle can reach the International Space Station safely.

According to shuttle manager Bill Parsons, the window of opportunity is slim but manageable. 'We believe May 22 to June 3 gives us plenty of opportunities to launch this,' Parsons said. 'We can't control the weather, but that time of year should be very promising.'

If the shuttle is not launched within that window of time, the next available launch time would be in mid-July.

The 12-day flight of the shuttle Discovery will help resupply the International Space Station. It will be the first shuttle flight since February 2003 when the Columbia disintegrated upon reentry to the earth's atmosphere killing all seven astronauts on board.