spacetoday.net: NASA to skip shuttle tanking test

Posted: Sat, May 6, 2006, 11:30 AM ET (1530 GMT)
STS-114: June 15 rollout (NASA/KSC)

NASA shuttle managers said Thursday that they don't plan to conduct a test of the shuttle's external tank to test some balky sensors, saying the time and risks of such an exercise would outweigh its benefits. Shuttle engineers has been planning to conduct a "tanking test" by filling the shuttle's external tank with propellants. The test was designed to confirm that engine cutoff (ECO) sensors were working properly. The sensors have caused problems with the tank in the recent past, and NASA decided to replace the ECO sensors in a bid to eliminate the problem. However, shuttle managers decided that such a test would take up considerable time and put undesirable stress on the tank and its insulation. NASA is still planning to launch the shuttle Discovery on mission STS-121 during a launch window that opens on July 1.