CAPE
CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA might repair and modify shuttle external tanks at
Kennedy Space Center to make up for time lost to an extended shutdown of a
manufacturing plant in New Orleans.
No final decisions have been made, but a team is developing options that
include performing the work in the 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building or a
payload processing facility in the KSC Industrial Area.
"We're looking at different alternatives to offset the loss of work"
at Michoud Assembly Facility in Louisiana, said KSC spokesman Bruce Buckingham.
"We expect Michoud is going to be without power for at least a month or
longer, so we've been asked to form a team to develop options to perform
repairs and modification work here."
The Lockheed Martin external tank factory was knocked out of action when
Katrina swept ashore earlier this week, devastating cities and towns across the
Gulf Coast.
The sprawling manufacturing plant was swamped with up to two inches of water
and only helicopters can get there now because surrounding roadways are
flooded.
The facility has no electrical power, communication is limited, and its
uncertain when the factory will reopen for business.
Many of the 2,000 people sustained serious damage to their homes, so its
uncertain when they will be able to return to work.
The factory had been playing a central role in NASA's effort to determine why a
one-pound chunk of foam insulation broke free from Discovery's external tank
during its late July launch, barely missing the shuttles right wing.
A 1.67-pound piece of foam from Columbia's tank blasted a hole in that shuttles
left wing. The damage went undetected and hot gasses ripped the shuttle apart
during a disastrous atmospheric reentry in February 2003.
The foam loss on Discovery's flight prompted NASA to indefinitely delay all
future shuttle missions until the problem is fixed.
NASA's second post-Columbia test flight is tentatively scheduled for March but
likely will be delayed until May or later.
Buckingham said the KSC team is identifying buildings that much of which must
be done while the 154-foot tanks are lying horizontally.
Among possible locations:
- The transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building, a
ground floor area between high bays that stretches some 718 feet from the
north to the south side of the building.
- The KSC Operations and Checkout Building, which
features a lengthy, environmentally controlled low bay where NASA has
worked on Gemini and Apollo spacecraft as well as Skylab, the nation's
first space station, and European Spacelab modules.
The
team also is examining what ground support equipment would be needed to perform
repair and modification work at KSC. Another factor: Identifying people at KSC
and Michoud who have the right skills and certifications to perform the work.
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