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Shuttle to Be Launched in July Without Tank Fix

NASA has decided to fly the space shuttle Discovery in July without making all potential modifications to its external fuel tank that might reduce damaging foam debris, a move that concerns some agency engineers, officials said today.

Engineers have removed two large sections of insulating foam from the tank and are still evaluating the effects of that action, they said. Work will continue on redesigning or removing all or some of 34 smaller, potentially hazardous foam wedges in the future, but they will fly "as is" on the upcoming flight, they said.

Reducing falling fuel tank debris has been a priority for NASA since the loss of the shuttle Columbia on Feb. 1, 2003. Foam insulation falling from the tank during the launching damaged Columbia’s heat shield, causing the destruction of the craft and the deaths of seven astronauts as the ship attempted to return through the atmosphere from a science mission.

When Discovery flew last July on the first mission since Columbia, a greatly reduced but hazardous amount of foam still fell from its redesigned tank during the launching. Afterward, engineers removed more than 37 pounds of foam that formed two air ramps, or deflectors, that protected pressurized fuel lines and a tray guiding cables down the side of the tank, places from which the biggest pieces of foam fell in the last mission.

NASA wants to fly the shuttle three times before the end of the year to get back on schedule for building the International Space Station before the shuttle fleet’s mandatory retirement in 2010. Officials hope to then fly four per year to finish the station with 16 flights, plus send a shuttle to repair the Hubble Space Telescope, before the deadline.

posted by: kyawoo at 02:10 | link | comments |
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