Tell me if I am wrong. The old foam worked but it didnt suit the envirowhacko's. So they tried new stuff and it didnt work . The bird was destroyed because of it.
So now instead of going back to the old foam that worked they are still experimenting with another new foam that doesnt work either, endangering the lives of the astronauts. Crazy. Completely nuts. Especially since the flight they are on now is so important.
All the tanks shed foam.
Columbia Accident Investigation Board.........
http://caib.nasa.gov/news/report/volume1/default.html
"Page 51 and page 129 discusses the general fact that the change in blowing agent only affected areas where the foam was mechanically applied, not hand-sprayed like the bipod ramps or PAL ramp."
The Bipod ramp is what got Columbia. The PAL ramp is where Disoverys mission shed foam.
They should indeed go back to the old bonding techniques. Columbia's loss ultimately is the result of the insanity of the bureaucratic mindset. Was no one at NASA man enough to call the EPA requirements absolutely crazy? Think about it. they are what, at most 4 launches per year? What amount of damage could that amount of freon based adhesives have done to the f**king fragile ozone layer? the Freon - ozone link hasn't been proven definitively anyway Whatever leftist at the EPA that pushed the decision on NASA should be hung. It makes as much sense as forcing Ferrari to have pollution controls (wow, what about 400 Ferrari's a year are produced... that will really help the environment making them have pollution control. Most government is a waste and irrational. I absolutely despise the bureaucratic mindset. I pray all bureaucrats go to Hell.