NASA is preparing to roll shuttle Discovery back to the Vehicle Assembly Building early on the first day of winter under the pale, multi-colored light of a total lunar eclipse. Discovery is scheduled to start rolling off pad 39A at 1:30 a.m. Tuesday to begin the 3.4-mile, roughly six-hour trek back to the assembly building atop a giant crawler-transporter.
The moon will pass through Earth's shadow between 1:33 a.m and 5:01 a.m. EST. NASA says its color should shift from bright orange to blood red to dark brown and perhaps gray. Click here for more on the eclipse.
The winter solstice officially begins later, at 6:38 p.m. EST.
After Friday's tanking test, Discovery is rolling back to the 52-story assembly building for more inspections of its external tank and possibly modifications.
Teams want to examine support beams on the tank's mid-section that weren't accessible on the launch pad, using an X-ray scanner to look for cracks.
Cracks were found on two of 108 beams called "stringers" after Discovery was fueled in early November, prompting an ongoing investigation including the tanking test, a launch delay to at least Feb. 3 and the upcoming rollback to the VAB.
Additional analysis from the tanking test and tests at multiple NASA centers will determine if some stringers need to be reinforced to prevent cracks and maintain structural integrity during the shuttle's climb to orbit.
If an early February launch is possible, Discovery would be rolled back out to the pad in mid-January.
IMAGE: Shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank on Friday was being filled with more than 535,000 gallons of super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen during a tanking test on launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center. In order to perform additional analysis on the tank, Discovery will be rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building tonight. Credit: NASA/Frank Michaux
8 comments:
WOW, how many more tests can they justify...Can you say rip off the public in a blant feeding at the public trough.
This shuttle will not fly untill every NASA employee gets 100% vested on thier retirement. What a waste this is!
This roll back under the eclipse should provide some awesome pictures.
So what are the results of the tanking test? What does the data show? If the xrays of the other stringers show more cracks is there a back-up ET to replace the damaged/defective one?
I fully support NASA taking the conservative approach in dealing with the stringer issue on the ET. The last thing we want is to see NASA rush the launch only to have another Columbia-type disaster. Let them run all the tests they want and I will still be there on February 3rd for the next launch window.
watch their not going to launch feb.3rd they will stall it till april then the one that was suppose to go in april will be moved around august. then if they pass the extra flight the last one will go in december but they might have problems with the last one so it will go in january or feburary 2012. so everyone can build up their 401ks and retire happy.
Ana...shut up and get back to your toilet cleaning...then after that..shut up some more. Hey Ana...shut up.
Looks like the only miserable loser here is anonymous 7:46PM & 7:47PM. People that get pissed off because others voice their own opinions about the wasteful space program it has become over the past decade. Living off the fumes of the real engineers that proved their work years ago. Agreed misery deserves company especially the people who feel that others don't have the right to "freedom of speech" or in this case comments. NASA'S space program needs to prove their worth all the extra govt funding since all they seem to be doing is delaying the inevitable layoffs. Who really knows why they've suddenly had all the unexpected delays. Intentional? Maybe so.
What I think is a sad note is Charlie Bolden said NO civil servants would lose any jobs! Here's a big story for you, I suddenly seen 20 new faces with temp badges that have been hired as civil servants by NASA for KSC! Not one looks over 30 and think its great to be starting at KSC! So if the money has stayed the same as 2010 then why cut whats needed, force lay-offs of NON-civil servant workers (which has done everything since the beginning only with NASA oversight)and start hiring more protected personnel? All NASA personnel do at KSC is sit in plush offices in suits and read reports of all the contractors work being done!
Charlie you better get your priorities straight or you will sink whats left of space flight ANYWHERE in the US.
As to the redecorating that was done...yes to headquarters for NASA personnel. Every building out there is filled with asbestos and is falling apart! if we dont fix them we need to tear them down and I know you will never find and NASA personnel driving fancy cars doing any demo work! NASA pays huge salaries to people (some of which dont even have more than a HS diploma)I'm talking over 100k to sit in an office and read papers and go for long walks or work out in the health clubs that are off limits to anyone BUT NASA personnel.
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