Shuttle Wing Repair Poses Huge Problem For NASA

NASA still can't repair the kind of shuttle wing damage thought to have destroyed Columbia on re-entry. That type of repair, once thought easy to accomplish, is now the biggest obstacle to the shuttles' return to flight, proposed for next year.

The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) found that foam debris from the space plane's external fuel tank probably punched a hole in the orbiter's left wing. That allowed super-heated gas to breach the heat shielding and caused Columbia to break up in flight.

Last August, NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe unveiled a plan to effect hull breach repairs in space. It involved using patches remarkably like band-aids. But finding material that's light-weight, has adhesive qualities and can withstand the tremendous heat associated with re-entry is proving extremely difficult.

"It was clear to us that they (shuttle engineers) have some things that they are still having to work," said former astronaut Richard Covey, who co-chairs a shuttle oversight group mandated by the CAIB. "But they have ways to work on them and at this point aren't saying they can't make it."

Fellow oversight board member Joseph Cuzzupoli, who worked on both the Apollo and shuttle programs, says NASA is now looking at three different ways to patch breaches in the hull and wings. He says the space agency hopes to settle on one of the plans by early next spring.

"I believe it will happen around the March time period that we'll be able to get a better, clearer feeling for where they're going. They're working very hard," he said.

NASA has, however, made major strides in improving the ability to detect hull breaches. Cuzzupoli says the agency will use off-the-shelf sensors on the wings to detect impacts and possible breaches, although they won't be able to measure the extent of damage.

Computers will be used on upcoming shuttle flights, allowing engineers to view and analyze images from Defense Department satellites. The satellites will provide extensive surveillance pictures along with images from the International Space Station.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/news/highlights/returntoflight.html