NASA: Another Shuttle Could Launch Soon

AP ^ | 7/29/05 | Marcia Dunn

[Little Pig]

The whole fuel tank fiasco could be solved by a simple call to D.C. asking the President to sign authorization for NASA to return to the old foam formulation. Maybe this time they can get the foam colored white like it's supposed to be.

[The_Victor]

The more I hear from Griffin, the more I like him.

[naturalized]

What is preventing this?

[SJSAMPLE]

The white color came from a paint/sealant that was applied on top of the foam. However, that paint weighted about a ton and was withheld to increase shuttle payload.

[dc-zoo]

The way these things work there's no way the next launch will be soon. Director is just trying to sound upbeat after another tank foam failure.

[r9etb]

Maybe this time they can get the foam colored white like it's supposed to be.

What made it white in the early missions was paint, which weighed (IIRC) a couple of thousand pounds. They stopped painting the tanks to increase payload capacity. The insulation itself has always been that orange/brown color. Painting the tanks wouldn't prevent foam from breaking off.

[Notforprophet]

Ping for the Space list.

NFP

[Atlas Sneezed]

Maybe this time they can get the foam colored white like it's supposed to be.

---

My understand is that the white color was paint, and the change to orange was associated with elimiating the paint to save weight, well before the foam material change.

[MAEsser]

I was actually thinking about that earlier today. Sort of sounds like a heavy duty aqua-net.

[PlanoMike]

Two Letters to the Editor in this morning's Dallas Morning News offered unique solutions to the problem. The first suggested shrink wrapping the tank, while the other suggested chicken wire with duct tape to secure the foam.

I like the shrink wrapping option!

[dead]

He said he has set up a "tiger team"

Great! We’re going to gay our way to a solution!

[Frank_Discussion]

We may only need to paint a region of the tank, not the whole thing, and maybe not even all the way around. Just something to seal it down.

[MinorityRepublican]

It was an alarming repeat of the problem that doomed Columbia in 2003, when a piece of foam knocked a hole in its left wing. The searing gases of re-entry melted the wing from the inside out, causing the spacecraft to disintegrate. All seven astronauts aboard died.

Does anyone here know what is the temperature of the re-entry?

[Sergio]

Note to NASA

Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting to get a different result.

Revert back to the old insulating foam formula and be done with it.

Best Regards

Sergio

[Frank_Discussion]

NASA has used "Tiger Teams" for a long time. It's nothing but gay, in any sense.

[dc-zoo]

Shrink wrap would shread and melt in a new york second.

[Lx]

I watched the entire Discovery channel return to flight a few weeks ago and I don't recall them mentioning a formulation change for the foam once.

[Frank_Discussion]

*Frank laughs at himself*

"It's nothing but gay, in any sense."

ANYTHING but gay, is what I MEANT to write... Oy!

[dead]

Does anyone here know what is the temperature of the re-entry?

I’m not sure of the temperature, but I know that they’re going very very fast.