'
On behalf of posters on Free Republic, I post this with deepest sympathy for the crew and their families.
Mission - sts107
Posted on 02/01/2003 8:41:00 AM PST by Admin Moderator
Edited on 02/01/2003 9:11:45 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
'
On behalf of posters on Free Republic, I post this with deepest sympathy for the crew and their families.
Mission - sts107
This is a continuation of the original thread.
Shuttle Contact LOST-No Tracking Data During RE-Entry!
ANY DU LINKS OR POSTS WILL BE REMOVED IMMEDIATELY. Keep them on the original thread.
FNC said that the shuttle was completely overhauled in the past year. You can bet that the list of folks who worked on the shuttle in that time is on it's way to the FBI, just to be thorough.
ours went up about 20mins ago.
i'd join in urging the rest of you to do the same ...
Workers find crack in shuttle Discovery, prompting possible inspection of entire fleet
By John Kelly
FLORIDA TODAY
CAPE CANAVERAL -- Workers overhauling shuttle Discovery found a cracked ball joint inside a liquid oxygen pipe late Tuesday night, prompting NASA to look at Atlantis and Endeavour to see whether the problem exists throughout the fleet.
Shuttle program managers at Johnson Space Center in Houston so far have decided not to inspect the plumbing in Columbia, which was rolled out to the pad Monday for a Jan. 16 launch. NASA does not expect to find such a crack in Columbia, which two years ago underwent the same kind of overhaul that Discovery is being subjected to this year.
However, if the same ball joint is found damaged in the checks of Atlantis or Endeavour, shuttle managers could change their minds.
Inspection of Columbia would be difficult, if not impossible, while it sits vertically on its mobile launch platform. A decision to roll the shuttle back from the launch pad to inspect or repair parts inside Columbia's fuel pipes would delay the 16-day scientific mission.
"The only reason to go inspect Columbia right now is if you needed to clear it for flight," NASA spokesman James Hartsfield said. "That's not the situation right now."
Discovery has been garaged at Kennedy Space Center since summer, undergoing major maintenance and modification as other orbiters have in recent years. The earliest it could possibly fly again is November 2003. The other two orbiters are set to fly in March and May and inspections can be done easily without intruding on other flight preparations.
The cracked ball joint in Discovery is 2.25 inches across. It's part of a flexible joint assembly that provides internal support to a 17-inch pipe, one of several giant pipes that deliver super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to the shuttle's three main engines. Any issues in the shuttles' main propulsion system are treated as critical safety issues because of the potential for catastrophic failure during launch.
.
.
The previous story I posted was from 1/9/03.
Thanks for the DU free zone!! :)
I hope you're right....
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.
