Saturday,  May 19, 2012 • Vol. 12--No. 310 • 34 of 41 •  Other Editions

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ties for the self-taught legal activist who made a daring escape from abusive house arrest in his village last month.
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SpaceX rocket launch aborted in last second before liftoff due to engine problem

• CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- A new private rocket bound for the International Space Station roared to life for a history-making liftoff Saturday, but remained stuck on the ground following a last-second abort.
• The countdown reached all the way to practically zero Saturday morning for the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The engine ignition sequence started up, but there was an automatic shutdown by on-board computers. So instead of blasting off on a delivery mission to the space station, the rocket stayed on its launch pad amid a cloud of en

gine exhaust.
• Even NASA's most seasoned launch commentator was taken off guard.
• "... 3-2-1, zero, and liftoff," announced commentator George Diller, his voice trailing as the rocket failed to budge. "We've had a cutoff. Liftoff did not occur."
• Billionaire rocket designer Elon Musk attributed the problem to slightly high combustion chamber pressure on engine No. 5. "Will adjust limits for countdown in a few days," he wrote via Twitter.
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