Nasa for next Discovery launch July 1

After a final review in which not all officials agreed with the decision to proceed with a new mission, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration set a window for the first shuttle launch in nearly one year for July 1-19.

"I don't see any reason why we could not launch July 1st," said Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for space operations in the shuttle program.

But NASA officials acknowledged they had not resolved problems which dogged the Discovery mission in July 2005 involving pieces of foam which broke off during launch.

The foam did not cause damage to the shuttle, and after several days of camera study and spacewalks to inspect the craft, it was judged safe to return to Earth.

The US space agency suspended the shuttle program after the mission to resolve the problem, but after months of research and testing officials admitted they still don't understand it.

Even so, NASA officials insisted Saturday that the issue poses relatively minor danger.

"We do not believe we are risking the crew," Gerstenmaier said.

"If we are going to fly we are going to have to accept some programmatic risks," NASA administrator Michael Griffin said.

NASA continues to be extremely sensitive about safety issues since the Columbia shuttle disintegrated upon reentry in February 2003, killing all seven astronauts aboard.

That accident was caused by a foam ramp breaking off during launch and bashing into the shuttle's wing, damaging crucial insulation panels.

The shuttle program was suspended for nearly three years as NASA reviewed both technologies and operations procedures to ensure vulnerabilities were not overlooked.