11.   A spokesman for the Spanish Finance Ministry insisted Wednesday that Spain too would get its finances in shape in time to join the monetary union on the launch day.

12.   Also on Tuesday, the Federal Aviation Administration issued new flight restrictions for launch day.

13.   He stunned NASA by asking to meet Glenn face to face before launch day.

14.   Most retailers in North America pre-sold the majority of their initial orders, leaving few consoles on the shelves for consumers to fight over on launch day.

15.   Most retailers in North America have pre-sold the majority of their initial orders, leaving few consoles on the shelves for consumers to fight over on launch day.

16.   The low pressure system is forecast to have moved by Thursday, and Thursday or Friday are the next possible launch days.

17.   Finally, the Milan bourse rolled up a substantial gain, thanks to a sharp uptrend displayed by Olivetti marking the launch day of its cellular telephone subsidiary Omnitel.

18.   La Repubblica said Wednesday was the real test for the currency after a spate of minor hitches reported on the launch day.

19.   Many unknowns remain, however, notably what proportion of NASA employees would have access to the launch site on launch days.