Cracks found in shuttle tank foam
Posted: Wed, Nov 23, 2005, 8:22 AM ET (1322 GMT)
Shuttle managers said Tuesday that technicians have found several small cracks in a problematic piece of foam on a space shuttle external tank. Officials said that examination of one external tank turned up nine small cracks in the PAL ramp, an area that was the source of a chunk of foam that came off the external tank used in July's launch of the shuttle Discovery. The tank in question had been filled twice with cryogenic propellants during tanking tests on the pad prior to Discovery's launch, but was replaced before launch. Engineers don't know yet what caused the cracks, and plan to continue testing to track down the problem. NASA had already been planning to remove the PAL ramp from future external tanks, although the engineering needed to do that may not be finished until next fall. The next shuttle mission is tentatively slated for May, although NASA officials made it clear yesterday that there is no schedule pressure within the program to launch by then.
Shuttle managers said Tuesday that technicians have found several small cracks in a problematic piece of foam on a space shuttle external tank. Officials said that examination of one external tank turned up nine small cracks in the PAL ramp, an area that was the source of a chunk of foam that came off the external tank used in July's launch of the shuttle Discovery. The tank in question had been filled twice with cryogenic propellants during tanking tests on the pad prior to Discovery's launch, but was replaced before launch. Engineers don't know yet what caused the cracks, and plan to continue testing to track down the problem. NASA had already been planning to remove the PAL ramp from future external tanks, although the engineering needed to do that may not be finished until next fall. The next shuttle mission is tentatively slated for May, although NASA officials made it clear yesterday that there is no schedule pressure within the program to launch by then.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Sunday, October 4
Starship’s successful launch to low Earth orbit is a big deal
The Hill — 12:29 am ET (0429 GMT) Cowen Defends SpaceX De-Annexation Deal as a ‘Historic Opportunity’ for Brownsville’s Water Future
Rio Grande Guardian — 12:28 am ET (0428 GMT) Oman space conference 2026 opens in Muscat
Muscat (Oman) Daily — 12:28 am ET (0428 GMT) France eyes commercial rocket launch from Al Duqm
Oman Observer — 12:24 am ET (0424 GMT) India tests 5.56-km quantum link, ISRO eyes secure communication from space
India Today — 12:23 am ET (0423 GMT) |
