Re: NASA Shuttle Explosion On Independence Day Doubtful


~Îñ©üßü§~ wrote:
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Inspectors found a 5-inch-long crack in the
foam insulation covering the shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank,
and NASA managers were deciding Monday whether to call off the
scheduled Fourth of July launch.

The crack was spotted during an overnight inspection. NASA had
scrubbed launch plans Saturday and Sunday because of poor weather and
had removed fuel from the tank.

NASA found the crack, which was an eighth- to quarter-inch wide, in
the foam on a bracket about two-thirds of the way up on the side of
the external fuel tank facing the orbiter. That location would make it
easy to hit the shuttle if a piece of foam came off. Officials were
trying to determine whether it could be fixed for a Tuesday liftoff.

"We don't know if it's a problem or not," NASA spokesman George Diller
said Monday.

Marion LaNasa Jr., a spokesman for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Co.,
which makes the tank, said he didn't know if foam had ever fallen from
that area during previous launches.

If NASA decides to go ahead with the launch Tuesday, it would be the
first manned launch by the United States on the nation's birthday, and
only the second liftoff of a space shuttle since the 2003 Columbia
disaster.

Concerns about cracks in the fuel tank's foam insulation have dogged
the program since Columbia exploded over Texas on Feb. 1, 2003. A
chunk of flyaway foam had damaged Columbia's wing during liftoff,
allowing superheated gas to penetrate the shuttle when it re-entered
the atmosphere.

NASA tried to fix the problem before trying another launch, but more
foam broke off Discovery's redesigned tank last July, barely missing
the shuttle.

NASA Administrator Michael Griffin decided the shuttle should go into
orbit despite the concerns of two top agency managers who wanted
additional repairs to the foam insulation.

The mission for Discovery's crew this time is to test
shuttle-inspection techniques, deliver supplies to the international
space station and drop off German astronaut Thomas Reiter for a
six-month stay.

The weather forecast for a Tuesday liftoff was better than it was on
Sunday or Monday, with a 40 percent chance that storms at launch time
would prevent liftoff, said U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Kaleb Nordgren, a
shuttle weather forecaster. NASA planned to make launch attempts on
Tuesday and on Wednesday if necessary.

Just get that expanding crack sealer foam from Lowe's...

The irony is, the foam never caused a problem before Columbia's
disaster, so the odds are actually in their favor with each launch.
Riding how many thousand pounds of rockets, fuel and orbiter into space
is never going to be 100 percent safe. I miss the days when everyone
thought the Shuttle would be the future, they would have more ships,
everyone would have a future in space, etc... remember that "Space
Camp" movie? It was an era that was going strong until the Challenger
accident. The main problem was, IMO, NASA never had another rocket
system going along with the shuttle for manned flight... they seem to
be designing two new rockets now, with two systems IMO it gives a
backup should one system be down for refit. Thank goodness for the
Russkies these last few years and their rockets.

I agree about Rutan and other provate companies. If they can get a
couple private designs too, for routine stuff, sounds OK. There are
also a LOT of retired military boosters. A few years ago the Russians
launched some Iridium communications satellites into orbit from a
Typhoon-class sub. Why not use those for more launches of raw cargo? If
they can boost it high enough for the space station, etc....


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  • Re: NASA Shuttle Explosion On Independence Day Doubtful
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