spacetoday.net: NASA to remove foam ramp from shuttle tank

Posted: Fri, Dec 16, 2005, 8:10 AM ET (1310 GMT)
STS-107: launch (NASA/KSC)

Shuttle managers announced Thursday that NASA has decided to remove a problematic foam ramp from the space shuttle's external tank, a decision that could delay next May's launch. NASA associate administrator Bill Gerstenmaier, in a news briefing Thursday, said that the PAL ramp would be removed from the external tank before the launch of STS-121, the next shuttle mission. A chunk of foam came off the PAL ramp during July's launch of STS-114, and inspections of a tank filled with cryogenic propellants but not flown showed evidence of cracks in the same ramp. The ramp was installed to relieve aerodynamic pressure on cables mounted on the tank's exterior, but studies have shown that the cables can withstand those forces without the need for the ramp. Gerstenmaier declined to say if the change would delay the launch of STS-121, although many believe that the additional work needed to remove the tank and perform related modifications would delay the launch until later in the summer.