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Shuttle Launch In September Unlikely As Engineers Ponder Falling Foam
Miami (AFP) Aug 11, 2005 NASA said Thursday it is unlikely to meet a September target for its next space shuttle flight as engineers try to figure out why foam fell off Discovery 30 months after a similar problem doomed Columbia. "We probably won't make the September 22 window," said Bill Gerstenmaier, who is leading an investigation into why pieces of foam insulation fell off Discovery's massive external fuel tank upon launch on July 26. He said two engineering teams examining the possible causes of the problem would need more time to make their assessment and probably modify the external tank. "We didn't find anything that showed the specific root cause, we just need to keep looking," said Gerstenmaier, the International Space Station's International Manager. "More than likely, we'll have to do some minor engineering modifications to the tank," he said in a telephone news conference. NASA already had spent 30 months and millions of dollars to improve the shuttle after foam insulation fell off Columbia's tank and damaged the left wing, causing the orbiter to disintegrate upon re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts on board on February 1, 2003. But foam again tore off the tank of Space Shuttle Discovery, which safely landed in California Tuesday. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express Space Shuttle News at Space-Travel.Com
Shuttle Foam To Be Left Off Fuel Tank
Houston (UPI) Dec 16, 2005The insulating foam on the space shuttle that broke loose during liftoff last July, will be removed from future launches, NASA officials said in Houston. |
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