The crack covers a bracket that connects the liquid oxygen feedline to Discovery's external fuel tank.
Posted on 07/03/2006 2:24:04 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida (CNN) -- Engineers on Monday are closely scrutinizing a small crack in insulation on space shuttle's fuel tank as NASA continues to prepare for a Tuesday launch.
NASA deputy manager John Shannon said foam that cracked covers a bracket that connects the liquid oxygen feedline to shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank.
When engineers went to inspect it, they pinched off a .0057-pound, 3- inch piece of foam.
Even so, Shannon said, had that piece fallen off during launch it wouldn't have damaged the orbiter.
The crack was discovered during an inspection Sunday evening, and is 4- to 5-inches- long and eighth- to a quarter-inch wide, NASA said. (Watch CNN's space expert explain when and why the crack could have appeared -- 1:27)
The Mission Management Team met Monday morning to go over possible scenarios -- including a possible fix.
Team members will meet again Monday evening to decide whether it must be fixed and whether the shuttle can launch Tuesday at 2:38 p.m. ET.
"We're going to meet back again at 6:30 p.m. ET tonight and summarize where we are with the analysis, summarize where we are with the inspection, try and and clear all our concerns and go launch tomorrow," Shannon said.
NASA has until July 19 to attempt a launch.
If a repair is needed, NASA would have to build a platform that would reach out to the bracket, which would allow engineers to make the fix, according to NASA spokesman Bruce Buckingham.
That would take more than a day, and delay Tuesday's launch.
But Buckingham says there's no fear the July 19 window would be in jeopardy.
There are two concerns with the cracked foam -- it could fall off during launch, and the piece is close to the belly of the orbiter.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
The crack covers a bracket that connects the liquid oxygen feedline to Discovery's external fuel tank.
When engineers went to inspect the crack, they pinched off a .0057-pound, 3- inch piece of foam.
Absolutely beautiful afternoon here today...would have been perfect.
In actuality, the decision to fly/not fly tomorrow will be AFTER the 6:30PM EDT meeting of the Mission Management Team. FOR NOW, the launch is still on, but this may change.
NASA sure can't make up their own mind.
Tell me about it. Everyone's got such a "CYA" mentality that it's no wonder nothing gets done around there!
I tell you, even though I love what NASA does, space exploration HAS to be put in the hands of private enterprise so we can get the ball rolling ahead again!
Is this that EPA approved foam or is this the same good old foam from years gone by used on the tanks?
Wasn't there dammage during the last launch due to the EPA approved junk foam?
I think the head of the EPA and his family should be part of this mission if they believe their PC Enviro friendly stuff is so great.
In the olden days test flights of experimental aircraft were conducted at dawn when the wind was light and weather best. Is there a reason they need to launch in the afternoon? Is it so they reach the Space Station at the right moment?
A piece of duct tape will take care of that pesky little crack!
No. This comment appears on almost all Shuttle threads. The foam that was on the bipod mount (from which foam shedding impacted the wing), had a EPA waiver and was of the old design.
John should now be aboard the shuttle when it launches!
Yes. They are trying to hit a moving target.
The shuttle has to launch during the day for this second test flight. That is so that the cameras on the ground and in the air can observe if the corrections to the foam have been successful. I think that's the reason.
There are orbital constraints.
Alot of the launch timing constraints have to do with the lighting conditions available for tank photography, as well as the before mentioned orbital constraints.
The shuttle has to launch at the moment that the launch pad is in the plane of the orbit of the space station (imagine slicing the Earth in half along the path the ISS takes) because the ISS will be a rescue craft if the Discovery is damaged.
As well, after Columbia, two new guidelines were set: The shuttle must launch in daylight, and the the external tank needs to be examined in daylight after it is dropped, 8 minutes into the launch.
For this reason, the window for launch is only about 10 minutes long, and after July 19, the right time to launch, as determined by the ISS, would fall at the wrong time for the other requirements.
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts121/fdf/sts121windows.html
Source: Newsmax
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