39-A Damaged During Discovery Launch

Officials with NASA allowed journalists to take a look at damage to Pad 39-A at Kennedy Space Center on Monday, two weeks after the launch of space shuttle Discovery caused some 5,300 heat-resistant bricks to break off from a flame-retardant blast wall.

The Associated Press reports the scene resembled "the aftermath of a volcanic eruption," with brick fragments still scattered around the site. Cleanup efforts have reportedly stalled due to traces of asbestos found in the bricks.

The "flame trench" was installed when Pad 39-A was constructed by the US Army Corps of Engineers in the 1960s, and was used for the Apollo moon missions. NASA said it appears some of the bricks weren't applied properly at that time, allowing gaps between the bricks and the adhesive used to form and widen over the years.

Before Discovery's June 2 launch, the worse damage to the pad occurred during the doomed January 28, 1986 launch of the shuttle Challenger... when about 800 bricks were lost. 

Despite the damage, NASA is optimistic the pad will be repaired in time for the early October launch of the space shuttle Atlantis. Senior managers will meet June 26 to discuss options, with the most likely scenario involving the installation of a steel mesh cover over the roughly 75-foot-by-20-foot area where the bricks separated. A heat-resistant coating would then be applied over the mesh.

That repair option is quicker than forming and installing new bricks, said NASA's lead engineer on the project, Perry Becker. It will take months for new bricks to be delivered.  

NASA is also inspecting the adjacent pad 39-B, so determine whether its flame trench has similar flaws.

FMI: www.nasa.gov