Wednesday, January 05, 2011

NASA To Meet Thursday About Potential Shuttle Modifications

NASA managers will meet Thursday and talk about the possibility of additional modifications to shuttle Discovery's external tank, and any significant amount of extra work likely would push the orbiter's 39th and final flight back to Feb. 27 at the earliest.

Discovery and six astronauts are tentatively scheduled to launch on Feb. 3, the opening of a seven-day opportunity to put the orbiter and its crew on course for a supply run to the International Space Station. The fleet leader's flight had been scheduled to launch in November. But NASA delayed the flight after discovering small cracks in support beams that stretch between the upper and lower parts of the 15-story propellant tank.

NASA managers decided to roll the shuttle back to the Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building for additional inspections. They subsequently ordered up modifications to 32 of the 108 support beams on the "intertank" region of the bullet-shaped vessel. Brackets that will strengthen the beams are to be put in place and then foam insulation will be reapplied.

Engineers now think the problem might be related to a mottled metal alloy that was used to manufacture the beams. Cracks only have been found on beams made with the mottled alloy, and tests have shown it is weaker and more susceptible to defects than beams made with other material.

Managers at a Program Control Review Board meeting will talk about whether additional beams on the tank should be shored up before Discovery is hauled back out to launch pad 39A. Rollout now is slated for mid-January.

The next launch window will extend from Feb. 27 to March 6.

Discovery's crew intend to deliver a permanent storage module to the station along with other critical supplies and equipment. The mission will be the 133rd for the shuttle program and the first of only two or three more flights remaining before fleet retirement.

Endeavour is tentatively scheduled to launch to the station on April 1. Congress has authorized an additional mission that would fly aboard Atlantis this summer but money for the flight still must be appropriated.

Check out the complete 2011 Space Coast launch schedule HERE.

IMAGE NOTE: Click to enlarge the NASA photo of shuttle Discovery inside the Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building after its roll back from the launch pad last month. Photo credit: NASA/Frank Michaux.

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