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NASA suspends shuttle flights pending investigation
16 Jul 2009 22:28:29 GMT
Source: Reuters
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., July 16 (Reuters) - NASA will suspend flights of its space shuttle fleet until it understands why strips of insulating foam peeled off the fuel tank used by shuttle Endeavour during Wednesday's launch, officials said.
"We're not worried about this one, but we need to understand what's going on for the next flight," said shuttle program manager John Shannon said on Thursday.
NASA has seven more shuttle launches planned to complete construction of the International Space Station. Its next flight is targeted for launch on Aug. 18. (Reporting by Irene Klotz; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
docm":2vqd2ge7 said:Just coming over the news - no details yet.
Apparently some people didn't learn it well enough, did they?shuttle_guy":1r2pdr0y said:Tanking then draining is bad bad bad for tanks with external foam. We learned that from the Saturn Five over 45 years ago.
docmIF those pieces missed the shuttles TPS it's more luck than skill and you know it. Same attitude that cost us Challenger and Columbia. As I said; time to bite the bullet and move on.[/quote said:considering the cycles on this tank, and similarities with previous high cycle tanks. I see no reason to cancel or postpone the remaining flights.
unless this turns out to be a new issue that affects the last ETs, the risks are unchanged.
at this point the best option is to fly the remaning station components and ULA flights and end there.
Shuttle Flights On Hold Due to New Foam Loss Problem
July 16, 2009
About the last thing NASA needs right now is a new problem to solve, but that’s exactly what landed on its plate following Wednesday’s launch of Endeavour on a space station construction mission.
It’s a new twist on an old nemesis -- the insulating foam on the shuttle fuel tank. NASA redesigned the tanks after losing shuttle Columbia and its seven-member crew in 2003 due to a heat shield breach triggered by a piece of foam debris that fell off the fuel tank and hit the ship’s wing during launch.
Endeavour’s launch was marred by the loss of several pieces of foam from a new area of the tank, a part that had not previously been a problem.
“We have a bit of a mystery on the foam loss,” shuttle program manager John Shannon told reporters on Thursday. "It's from an area that we typically don’t expect foam to be lost."
During Endeavour’s climb to orbit on Wednesday, several pieces of foam were seen peeling off the inter-tank area, a section between the hydrogen and the oxygen tanks. Shannon said the foam in that area is thin, machine-sprayed and not subject to the intense cold affecting other parts of the insulation.
The foam fell off Endeavour’s tank late during ascent, when atmospheric forces were minimized, so that the debris did not have enough force to slam into the orbiter and cause damage. But if the shedding had occurred earlier during the flight, it could have been a different story.
"We're not worried about this one (Endeavour), but we need to understand what's going on for the next flight,” Shannon said.
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docm":18op5aef said:Yes, risk can be managed to a degree, but NASA's risk management the last 30 years seems more hubris than management. First it was ignoring all the signs that foam shedding could damage the TPS, then it was thinking the O rings could work under ungodly cold conditions then it was back to the foam again both before and after Columbia.
docm":2aqgy8lx said:Apparently some people didn't learn it well enough, did they?shuttle_guy":2aqgy8lx said:Tanking then draining is bad bad bad for tanks with external foam. We learned that from the Saturn Five over 45 years ago.
All that fill/drain hunting for the leaks and yet no one thought that perhaps the tank would present a risk? Maybe postpone, go back to the garage and reapply to the high risk areas? IF those pieces missed the shuttles TPS it's more luck than skill and you know it. Same attitude that cost us Challenger and Columbia.
As I said; time to bite the bullet and move on.
drwayne":9cbru52y said:
docm":2d7bs9tb said:I saw if on Fox's Shepard Smith report, but now Reuters is carrying it...
Earth to NASA & Congress: fully fund COTS-D NOW!!!!
Reuters AlertNet wire story....
NASA suspends shuttle flights pending investigation
16 Jul 2009 22:28:29 GMT
Source: Reuters
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., July 16 (Reuters) - NASA will suspend flights of its space shuttle fleet until it understands why strips of insulating foam peeled off the fuel tank used by shuttle Endeavour during Wednesday's launch, officials said.
"We're not worried about this one, but we need to understand what's going on for the next flight," said shuttle program manager John Shannon said on Thursday.
NASA has seven more shuttle launches planned to complete construction of the International Space Station. Its next flight is targeted for launch on Aug. 18. (Reporting by Irene Klotz; Editing by Doina Chiacu)
In the meantime we need to get F9/Dragon up and ready for crew missions, meaning fund work on its escape tower as well as using NASA resources to speed the job. I know others could do it, meaning build a crewed spacecraft, but SpaceX is cutting metal and closest to actually doing it.
docm":kw6rw0d5 said:Just coming over the news - no details yet.
3488":3isywhwr said:docm":3isywhwr said:Just coming over the news - no details yet.
Hi docm,
I am not at all suprised that this launch has been a problem child. How many times had the ET been tanked, detanked, retanked, etc with liquid hydrogen?
That together with quite a lengthy period out in the hot humid Florida weather, thundertorms dumping huge amounts of rain, then that drying off, then more liquid hydrogen loaded, etc.
I hope that this will only be short term & that STS 128 Discovery will still launch on schedule. NASA must get to the bottom of this one.
Andrew Brown.
The press being sensationalist? Never?! :roll:vt_hokie":2k694eqa said:Thanks, strikes me as a bit of sensationalism though in describing what is obviously SOP for many types of anomalies.