Crack found in Columbia's engines
Posted: Wed, Jul 3, 2002, 8:48 PM ET (0048 GMT)
Engineers have found at least one crack in flow liners in the engines of shuttle Columbia, the third orbiter where such cracks have been discovered. NASA officials confirmed late Tuesday that one crack had been found in a flow liner of a liquid hydrogen line in Columbia's main engines; the crack was described as similar in size to those previously found in the engine assemblies in Atlantis and Discovery. Investigations of Columbia's engines are expected to continue into next week, and studies of how the cracks formed and how much of a threat they post to shuttle safety are ongoing. Endeavour, which returned to the Kennedy Space Center last weekend, will also be inspected. NASA has made no statement regarding what impact the flow liner problem will have on the schedule of upcoming launches, but in the worst case the entire fleet could be grounded for months while repairs of the orbiters' engines are made.
Engineers have found at least one crack in flow liners in the engines of shuttle Columbia, the third orbiter where such cracks have been discovered. NASA officials confirmed late Tuesday that one crack had been found in a flow liner of a liquid hydrogen line in Columbia's main engines; the crack was described as similar in size to those previously found in the engine assemblies in Atlantis and Discovery. Investigations of Columbia's engines are expected to continue into next week, and studies of how the cracks formed and how much of a threat they post to shuttle safety are ongoing. Endeavour, which returned to the Kennedy Space Center last weekend, will also be inspected. NASA has made no statement regarding what impact the flow liner problem will have on the schedule of upcoming launches, but in the worst case the entire fleet could be grounded for months while repairs of the orbiters' engines are made.| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
SpaceX performs two Falcon 9 launches less than an hour apart
Posted: Sun, Aug 16 10:57 AM ET (1457 GMT) Virgin Galactic delays resumption of commercial flights to 2027
Posted: Sun, Aug 16 10:54 AM ET (1454 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, August 19
First spacewalk completed for Sophie Adenot
ESA — 6:43 am ET (1043 GMT) Satellite images show damage after a Ukrainian missile strike on a space center supporting Russia's Starlink rival
Business Insider — 6:42 am ET (1042 GMT) Space Force Selects Rocket Lab For Space Data Network Consortium, Awarded $12M in Contracts to Support Global Military Communications Network
Rocket Lab — 6:36 am ET (1036 GMT) USSF to Operate Legacy Weather Sats Until at Least 2028 as It Works on Replacements
Air and Space Forces Magazine — 6:36 am ET (1036 GMT) AFA Urges Congress to Fully Fund Space Force, Ramp Up F-35 Procurement
Air and Space Forces Magazine — 6:36 am ET (1036 GMT) |
