|
 |
 advertisement
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NASA Ships Shuttle External Tank Back to Factory
By FLORIDA TODAY
posted: 23 August 2005
2:47 p.m. ET
|
A shuttle external tank
began a voyage today from Kennedy Space Center back to the manufacturing plant
in Louisiana as part of the investigation into why Discovery's fuel tank lost
foam during its trip into space.
The orange tank was loaded onto a covered barge for the water trip to the
Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans.
Officials said it might be used as a test bed and might eventually be modified
to be used as the tank for Discovery's mission tentatively set for March
2006.
The tank - called ET-119 - was originally set to fly into space on the third
return-to-flight mission following the 2003 Columbia accident.
Five oversized pieces of insulating foam fell
off Discovery's external fuel tank July 26, during the first shuttle launch to
test safety reforms made in the wake of the Columbia disaster. NASA needs
several months to study and then fix the fuel tanks it has on hand.
Published
under license from FLORIDA TODAY. Copyright © 2005 FLORIDA TODAY. No portion of
this material may be reproduced in any way without the written consent of FLORIDA TODAY.
|
|
|
|
|
