Posted on 12/15/2005 5:35:12 PM PST by BenLurkin
NASA plans to change the space shuttle's external fuel tank again, this time removing a troublesome section of protective foam that broke off during the launch of Discovery last July, the space agency said Thursday.
The removal of more foam from the tank and further testing to find the root cause of cracks in the foam could lead to a longer delay until the next shuttle flight, tentatively set for May. But NASA official Bill Gerstenmaier, who is leading the investigation into the foam loss, said that's not necessarily the case.
The targeted foam section protects a cable tray that runs along the tank. "We think that's the best thing to do, just take it off," Gerstenmaier said.
NASA had redesigned the fuel tank after a large piece of insulating foam hit the wing of the shuttle Columbia in 2003, sparking the disaster that killed seven astronauts. The shuttle fleet was grounded after that and again after Discovery's launch last July when a smaller piece of foam broke off that shuttle's tank despite the redesign.
Discovery also lost other pieces of foam in four other areas, including the same spot where a large chunk came loose during Columbia's liftoff.
The removal of the large foam section doesn't require a redesign of the tank's structure, Gerstenmaier said, meaning the chances of a May launch aren't necessarily in jeopardy.
Three members of the Columbia accident board with technical expertise couldn't be reached for comment about NASA's latest plans.
Engineers want to test the tank in a wind tunnel to see if there are any problems with removing the foam section, known as a protuberance air load, or PAL, ramp. They need to further analyze what is causing the cracks when two layers of foam on the tank are exposed to chilling temperatures during fueling with supercold hydrogen.
NASA is very aware of the money spent on returning the shuttle to flight, Gerstenmaier said, and has taken some cost-saving measures, such as dropping some research on repairing the shuttles' thermal tiles that aren't as far along as other techniques.
The space agency needs to fly its aging shuttles 19 more times to finish construction of the international space station before the shuttle fleet is retired in 2010.
"The focus has got to be on understanding the cracking phenomenon and working out an engineering solution, and then that will drive us to what we think the right period is for launch," Gerstenmaier said. "We don't need to have a flight this spring to make the 19 flights."
Ping.
Just ground the damn thing and be done with it.
It will be replaced when there is a replacement.....
More detail here: http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts121/051215update/
Well, I guess we could off a few more astronauts before the replacement gets here.
Agree but you'll get flamed by pro-Shuttle zealots here on FR if you don't watch out.
What I cannot understand is why they haven't changed or completely removed foam in the section that could possibly impact the Shuttle - Probably less than 5% of the total surface area of the tank. And why does this fix take so long and cost so much - Like everything associated with the program from it's inception.
That troublesome foam.....
Spaceflight is risky...
Because NASA has become a political bureaucracy with it's eye on budgets and political correctness and forgotten that it's mission requires a scientific and engineering component.
this time removing a troublesome section of protective foam that broke off during the launch
If it already broke off, why do they need to remove it?
NASA has finally become complete cowards. Everything carries a risk. NASA has taken the approach that to prevent space shuttle accidents, they will keep the space shuttles on the ground.
I hear you and agree completely - A lot of promise consumed in waste, fraud and abuse IMO.
It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out: CANCEL the ISS NOW, and use some of the money saved from doing so to fund a "Save Hubble" mission. The difference: Hubble does real science, while the ISS is a $90 billion PR folly whose greatest contribution to science has been the study of mice humping in space.
ISS is a zero gravity version of the United Nations, and both of them ought to be put out of business before they hurt someone and waste even more of our money.
Maybe they should just go back to using the freon based compound that they were using before the Columbia disaster since halogens no longer seem to present the problem that the enviro claimed.
It occurs to me that this was not a problem at all for many many years of shuttle flights. Maybe just MAAAAYYYBEEEEE the problems started when the environmenatlists got to politically correct in procedures and made changes in the application process of this foam ( prolly the production processes as well).
I blame this problem on save the plant greenpeace crap of total 100% environmantally friendly policies across the board. Lets take into account that everything we have exists (or could) in nature anyway. Astronauts died as a result of this political correctness and our space program as a whole has suffered as well.
Time to tell them to blast off!
Love your sentiments - The ISS as a space based version of the UN - LOL
The Space Shuttle was an Edsel from the word go. The new NASA heavylifter shows some sign that sanity is returning to NASA. At least the new boosters are grounded in reality and not some politicians idea of what a NASA program should look like.
I guess you wouldn't consider research into how to breed quail in space ( at the iss) could lead to any knowledge that could be beneficial on a manned trip to mars eh?
Food source, see that. There are lots of kinds of real science friend and if you think none has been gained from the ISS, you really need an update download.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.