Thu, Apr 07, 2005
But Rollout Delayed Because Of... Yikes... External Tank Foam
Problems
The space shuttle
Discovery is standing tall on Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center
in Florida, after a 10 hour 30 minute journey from the Vehicle
Assembly Center that was delayed by the discovery of a crack in the
insulation surrounding the space plane's external fuel tank.
It was a reminder of the insulation foam that fell from
Columbia's external fuel tank as the nation's oldest shuttle
blasted into space for the last time January 16th, 2003. Damage
caused by that chunk of foam led to Columbia's disintegration as it
re-entered Earth's atmosphere February 1st, 2003. All seven
astronauts on board were lost.
The remaining shuttle fleet has been grounded since then, as
NASA worked to refit the space planes according to safety
recommendations made by the Columbia Accident Investigation
Board.
"It's a very, very tiny crack," Launch Director Mike Leinbach
told the Washington Post. "Very, very narrow ... well within our
experience base. It was an acceptable condition for flight, so we
rolled on out and we're going to fly with it just as it is."
Leinbach said the crack was located high up on the tank, in an area
that makes it unlikely to cause any damage to the orbiter
itself.
"It's a great sight to see Discovery rolling out to the launch
pad," said shuttle commander Eileen Collins, watching the
one-mile an hour procession to the pad from her vantage point at
the Johnson Space Center in Houston. Collins will lead the crew on
the next mission. "We know we are getting close."
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