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Wed, Sep 15, 2004

Space Shuttle External Fuel Tank Milestone

Tank Slated To Fly Next Spring Ready For Foam Spray On Intertank

Workers at Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans (LA) have transferred External Tank 120 -- the Space Shuttle External Tank slated for the launch of the orbiter Discovery next spring -- into the facility's vehicle assembly building.

The tank is erected vertically so that foam insulation can be applied on the liquid hydrogen tank-to-intertank flange area, a tank structural connection point. The foam will be applied with an enhanced finishing procedure that requires two technicians, a new mold-injection procedure to the intertank's ribbing and real-time videotaped surveillance of the process.

The foam was removed from all existing tanks when the intertank area was identified as a potential debris-shedding source following the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia and her crew on Feb. 1, 2003. The move -- a major step toward returning the Space Shuttle to flight -- brings the tank one step closer to its eventual transfer to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

FMI: www.returntoflight.org


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