Shuttle External Fuel Tank

[zavvy]

<b>Media Invited To See Shuttle External Fuel Tank Ship From Michoud <br /></b><br /><br />LINK<br /><br />The External Tank that will help launch Space Shuttle Discovery on its Return to Flight mission is expected to roll out Thursday afternoon, Dec. 30, from NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans to begin its journey to NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla., where it will be prepared for launch. The tank is scheduled to leave New Orleans on its barge Friday morning Dec. 31. <br /><br />The tank, known as ET-120, will roll out on its transporter from the final assembly building and be loaded onto a covered barge docked at the Michoud Facility. The barge is expected to take four to five days to travel from the Mississippi River-Gulf of Mexico Outlet to Florida's Banana River, which pours into the Atlantic Ocean.<br /><br />News media will be offered a view of the tank during rollout and loading. Access will be granted on a first-requested basis and will be limited to two persons per organization. News media who want to attend this event must contact the Lockheed Martin Communications Office (504/257-1307) by close of business Dec. 29.<br /><br />Since the Michoud Assembly Facility is an operational facility that deals in hazardous materials, all who participate must be properly dressed in long pants and closed shoes with low heels.<br /><br />The gigantic, rust-colored external tank is the largest element of the Space Shuttle system at 27.6-feet wide and 154-feet tall. During the first eight-and-a-half minutes of launch, the tank feeds 535,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and oxygen to the Shuttle's three main engines, powering the Shuttle to space during ascent. The tank is the only Shuttle component not reused. It withstands more than 7 million pounds of thrust during liftoff and ascent. <br /><br />ET-120 is the first to incorporate safety improvements to address the Columbia Ac

 

[cookie_thief]

Color change? What, did they spray it with "mood" foam? <img src="/images/icons/rolleyes.gif" />

 

[CalliArcale]

No, but it does darken with exposure to the elements. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p><font color="#666699"><em>"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly . . . timey wimey . . . stuff."</em>  -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink"</font></p> </div>

 

[cookie_thief]

Please disregard my last post, as it was in bad taste. <br />Considering the source of the previous disaster and the the effect it had on everyone involved, including the families whose loved ones were lost, I extend my humble apologies to all those concerned. I know a lot of serious effort went into mitigating the problem and I hope the best for all who worked so hard to get us back into space again.

 

[redracer02]

One thing I have always wondered about these is what happens to them after seperation from the shuttle? Do they burn up in the atmosphere? Crash into the ocean? What? <br /><br /><br />And what is with the tease, what is the point in telling us that Thursday they'll have the rolling out and we can't see it until then? Most people wouldn't care, but those of us here would probably get excited from seeing it. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" />

 

[drwayne]

The shuttle actually has its trajectory shaped to dump them towards open ocean - what survives re-entry ends up in the drink. Shuttle_Guy has talked about it a number of times...<br /><br />Wayne <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>"1) Give no quarter; 2) Take no prisoners; 3) Sink everything."  Admiral Jackie Fisher</p> </div>

 

[elguapoguano]

I thought that the External tank did burn up in the atmosphere, it's the SRB's that are dumped into the ocean to be reused. Sure there would be some peices left of the external tank, but nothing recoverable. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#ff0000"><u><em>Don't let your sig line incite a gay thread ;>)</em></u></font> </div>

 

[drwayne]

I thought that was what I said, but I must have said it badly. What survives the re-entry, which is not a lot, lands in the ocean.<br /><br />If the shuttle trajectory was not shaped the way it is, and the tank released the way it is, the tank would go into Earth orbit - a short lived one.<br /><br />Wayne <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>"1) Give no quarter; 2) Take no prisoners; 3) Sink everything."  Admiral Jackie Fisher</p> </div>

 

[SpaceKiwi]

The colour always gives the alarming impression the ET is "rusting"! <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em><font size="2" color="#ff0000">Who is this superhero?  Henry, the mild-mannered janitor ... could be!</font></em></p><p><em><font size="2">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</font></em></p><p><font size="5">Bring Back The Black!</font></p> </div>