"The best thing to do is to just take it
off."
Source: NASA's Director of Space Operations
William H. Gerstenmaier, on the agency's plan to remove the
protuberance airload ramp (PAL) from the external fuel tank on
future space shuttle flights. The PAL ramp was identified by NASA
engineers in October as one of the five areas that lost foam during
the launch of Discover this summer. The final decision on its
removal was delayed, however, until scientists could prove the
components protected by the ramp could withstand aerodynamic forces
without it.
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