Posted: Sat, Jun 8, 2002, 12:41 PM ET (1641 GMT)
Terrorists have considered an attack against the space shuttle, according to a report published by AviationNow. NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe said after the successful STS-111 launch that the shuttle is considered a "high-value target" by the al-Qaeda terrorist network. "It has been identified as such by all the intelligence information that we have received post-September 11," AviationNow quoted O'Keefe as saying. Security for all launches since the September 11 terrorist attacks has been stepped up, and NASA has instituted a policy of not announcing an exact launch time until 24 hours before the launch. Of particular concern is the STS-107 shuttle mission in July, whose crew will include the first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon, and Indian-born NASA astronaut Kalpana Chawla.

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