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Cape Canaveral FL (SPX) Jan 04, 2011 Space shuttle Discovery remains inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where technicians are starting repairs on three support beams, called stringers, on the outside of the shuttle's external tank. Recent X-ray type image scans of all 108 of the tank's stringers revealed four small cracks on three beams on the side opposite Discovery. Managers decided Thursday to have those cracks repaired in a similar fashion to repairs made on cracks found on two stringers after Discovery's Nov. 5 launch attempt. Also beginning is another round of imaging - this time, using the backscatter method - on all of the tank's stringers. Engineers at various NASA centers continue to analyze testing and imaging data. The repair work is estimated to take 2-3 days. Any further work will be evaluated thoroughly during the week after additional data and analysis are reviewed. Managers also continue to evaluate an option to perform known and practiced modifications on some stringers. Before breaking for the holiday, technicians reconfigured scaffolding to provide access for the modification work, should it be required. The next available launch date for Discovery's STS-133 mission to the International Space Station remains Feb. 3 at the opening of a window that extends through Feb. 10.
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NASA finds more cracks on Discovery fuel tankWashington (AFP) Dec 30, 2010 NASA said Thursday it has found four more small cracks on the metal supports of the shuttle Discovery's external fuel tank, as the shuttle and external tank undergo further X-ray testing before its final space mission next year. Repairs would be made to the cracks in a similar fashion to the cracks discovered after the November 5 launch attempt, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration said in a stat ... read more |
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