NASA: Virtually no chance of Sept shuttle launch

By Irene Klotz

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) – There is virtually no
chance of a shuttle launch in September because of difficulty
resolving fuel tank problems that triggered the 2003 loss of
Columbia and reappeared during the recent Discovery mission, a
top NASA manager said on Thursday.

Engineers resumed work on the shuttle’s fuel tank after
watching video and pictures of several large pieces of foam
flying off the tank as Discovery soared into orbit on July 26.

Unlike the ill-fated Columbia, the foam did not hit
Discovery, but NASA grounded the fleet until the tanks are
repaired again.

“We didn’t find any immediate, easy fixes here,” space
station program manager Bill Gerstenmaier, who is overseeing
efforts to analyze and resolve the tank problem, said during a
teleconference with reporters on Thursday.

“More than likely, we’re probably going to have to make
some kind of minor engineering modifications to the tank, and
to do that, we probably will not make the September launch
window,” Gerstenmaier said.

NASA had hoped to launch its next shuttle, Atlantis, on a
follow-up test flight and servicing mission to the
International Space Station in September.

A large chunk of insulating foam fell off Columbia’s fuel
tank during liftoff and smashed into the orbiter’s left wing.
When the shuttle attempted to land 16 days later, superheated
atmospheric gases blasted into the hole and destroyed the
vehicle. The seven astronauts aboard were killed.

NASA spent 2 1/2 years and more than $1 billion fixing the
tank and implementing other safety upgrades after the accident.

Discovery returned from a 14-day flight on Tuesday, the
first shuttle mission since the accident.

Five teams are scrutinizing records, pictures and other
data that document every aspect of the manufacture, processing,
shipping and flight preparations of the fuel tank used during
Discovery’s launch.

Engineers are also using video and pictures taken from
dozens of cameras to pinpoint when and where critical pieces of
foam broke away during the climb to space.

They expected to spend several more weeks examining five
areas of foam loss, the largest of which involved a 1-pound
(0.45-kg) chunk of hand-sprayed foam from an aerodynamic ramp
intended to shelter electrical connections and pipes that run
along the outside of the tank.

Gerstenmaier said a routine and minor repair to the ramp
may have been a contributing factor to the foam’s breaking off
during launch, but was unlikely to be the sole reason for the
failure.

“There’s probably another underlying problem,” he said.

For the immediate future, NASA is considering removing the
ramps and respraying them to assure that there are no hidden
defects.

“I don’t see a major rework,” Gerstenmaier said. “It’s
essentially subtle, small details that we can correct.”

First and foremost, he added, NASA must understand why
Discovery’s tank shed foam.

“Our plan is going to be to understand what caused this
foam shedding and then to remove that cause so that we don’t
have a large piece of foam coming off the tank,” Gerstenmaier
said.