
This was despite warnings from flight surgeons and fellow crew members that they were too drunk.
Exactly what they flew while drunk is not clear: it could have been a Shuttle, the Russian Soyuz space station or a 1000mph T38 training jet.
The drinking while flying scandal came to light after Nasa commissioned a " review of health services available to astronauts" and an assessment of astronauts' "behavioural medicine practices".
Although Nasa claimed that these procedures were routine, they are widely seen as a response to the arrest and dismissal of astronaut Lisa Nowak who drove from Texas to Florida dressed in a nappy to assault a love rival.
The sabotage was to a computer system which Nasa describes as "non-critical" destined for the next Shuttle flight. Inspectors found that wires on a telemetry device had been deliberately cut.
Nasa said that the unit will be repaired and used for the mission as planned.