Wed, Dec 15, 2010
Will Be "Rolled Back" To VAB For Further Fuel Tank
Inspections
Technicians at NASA Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A in
Florida are moving ahead with plans for a tanking test for space
shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank, which now will be no
earlier than Friday, Dec. 17, weather permitting. Cold and windy
conditions have slowed test preparation. The test will help verify
repairs associated with cracks on the tops of two 21-foot-long,
U-shaped aluminum brackets, called stringers, and help engineers
determine what caused the cracks in the first place during
Discovery's launch countdown on Nov. 5.
Shuttle managers also officially decided late Monday afternoon
that following the tanking test, Discovery will be rolled back into
Kennedy's Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to allow its external
tank to undergo additional image scans. Rollback is expected to
occur 4-5 days after the tanking test. Once in the VAB, technicians
will collect x-ray data on stringers on the back side of the
external tank midsection, called the intertank, which is not
accessible at the launch pad. Additionally, the test
instrumentation and foam insulation on those areas of the intertank
will be removed while the stringer inspections are going on in
parallel.
At the launch pad, crews currently are finishing installing 89
strain gauges and temperature sensors for the tanking test to
precisely record movement and temperatures from the intertank as it
chills and warms again during the loading of propellants and
emptying process. The tank holds super-cold liquid oxygen and
liquid hydrogen, which cause the tank to shrink by about half an
inch.
Managers and engineers will review the data gathered from the
tanking test and additional image scans before determining the next
course of action. Currently, managers plan to have Discovery
returned to the launch pad in January ahead of its next launch
opportunity, which is no earlier than Feb. 3 at 0134 EST.
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