NATION IN BRIEF : FLORIDA : Shuttle Damage Laid to Human Error

A nine-foot-long aluminum beam left inside the engine compartment of the space shuttle Atlantis that damaged the craft was the result of human error, investigators in Cape Canaveral, Fla., concluded. Routine worker fatigue, inexperience or scheduling were ruled out as causes of the mishap, officials said. The beam, part of a work platform, banged around inside the compartment and caused about 25 dents and dings when the shuttle was lifted into an upright position in an assembly room on Oct. 3. The damage was not expected to delay a secret military flight by Atlantis, set for around Nov. 10.