Shuttle program managers at 11 a.m. began a meeting to update NASA's senior space operations managers on the status of Discovery's final flight, which will launch no earlier than Feb. 24. A news conference to discuss the mission's status is expected Tuesday.
Inside Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building, work continues on the mid-section of Discovery's tank, the outside of which is lined with 108 support beams called stringers, each 21 feet long.
Repairs continue to three stringers found to have cracked -- bringing that total to five since early November -- while preparations are under way to strengthen the tops of another 32 stringers with small strips of metal. Insulating foam covering those stringers is being torn away and fasterners are being removed.
Managers this week may order similar modifications to most of the remaining stringers.
A new target launch date is expected to be set by the end of the week.
IMAGE: Repair work to space shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank begins in the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center on Jan. 5. Technicians will modify 32 support beams, called stringers, on the tank's intertank region by fitting pieces of metal, called radius blocks, over the stringers' edges where they attach to the thrust panel area. Credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller
2 comments:
Post a Comment