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NASA Finds Misaligned Shuttle Seal
Aviation Week and Space Technology ^ | 11/12/2010 | Irene Klotz

Posted on 11/12/2010 8:54:29 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld

Preliminary analysis of the space shuttle’s Discovery’s leaking Ground Umbilical Carrier Plate (GUCP) shows a misaligned seal, a NASA spokesman said Nov. 11.

“Not to get ahead of the engineering investigation, but they’re analyzing the flight seal, which they found wasn’t aligned properly. The team plans to install a new GUCP ... connectors, seal, etc., by tomorrow,” Kennedy Space Center spokesman Allard Beutel said in an e-mail to Aviation Week.

The GUCP leak forced NASA to cancel its Nov. 5 launch attempt of Discovery on the STS-133 mission, an 11-day space station assembly and maintenance mission that will be the 39th and final flight planned for Discovery.

Minutes after the scrub was called, technicians reported a large crack in the shuttle’s external fuel tank foam, repairs of which likely will be the driver behind a new launch date for Discovery. NASA is targeting the opening of its next launch window, Nov. 30, but the schedule will be tight.

(Excerpt) Read more at aviationweek.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: discovery; nasa; shuttle; spaceprogram; spaceshuttle; sts133

1 posted on 11/12/2010 8:54:35 PM PST by ErnstStavroBlofeld
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To: ErnstStavroBlofeld; KevinDavis; Nick Danger

After spending a week in Titusville hoping for a launch during election week, I anticipate the final two launches will be delayed for many months in a cascading effort to keep shuttle program employees working through at least June 2011.


2 posted on 11/12/2010 10:43:17 PM PST by NautiNurse (ObamaCare uses Bernie Madoff theory of economics)
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To: NautiNurse

Might be a chance to keep the program alive til we get rid of Obama and the Crats. We need our own launch vehicles for manned flight. NASA must be purged of Liberals and put back to work. It was a good Agency at one time.


3 posted on 11/13/2010 12:43:41 AM PST by screaminsunshine (Americanism vs Communism)
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To: ErnstStavroBlofeld

When hiring for diversity quotas trumps all, your workforce is a joke. Fire everyone and start over or close down. Nasa needs a competent workforce without affirmative action hires.


4 posted on 11/13/2010 1:23:37 AM PST by x_plus_one (Illinois BDR 529)
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