LAT/AP: Discovery May Need Unprecedented Repair

[DeepModem Mom]

Discovery May Need Unprecedented Repair
By MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer


SPACE CENTER, Houston -- A couple short strips of fabric dangling from Discovery's belly may require an unprecedented repair by spacewalking astronauts, if engineers determine there's even a possibility that the problem could endanger the shuttle during descent, NASA said Sunday.

Teams of experts were scrambling to understand just how serious the problem was, with "strong arguments" raging on what to do, if anything.

The trouble has nothing to do with foam or other launch debris, but rather the accidental slippage of ceramic-fiber cloth used to fill the thin gaps between thermal tiles, which some engineers worry could trigger potentially treacherous overheating during re-entry.

It will be Monday before the analysis is complete and mission managers decide whether to have the crew's two spacewalkers cut or pull the two hanging strips....

***

Such a spacewalking feat would be a first: In 24 years of shuttle flight, astronauts have never ventured beneath their spacecraft in orbit and have made few repairs to their ship, certainly none of this magnitude....


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wire/ats-ap_top10jul31,0,50923.story

[Fridays Child]

1. How frightening to think that another shuttle disaster could happen.

Be safe Discovery crew!

[sam sarrha]

2. they will burn up a second crew out of arrogance again

:cry:

[marmar]

4. I never understood why they rushed the program back into space?

What does it prove about your space technology prowess if you keep having these life-threatening problems?

[hwmnbn]

3. They used duct tape on Apollo 13........

I'm hoping this is not as serious.

[PunkPop]

5. They are ultrasensitive now.

Who knows how many of these little things were simply ignored in previous flights.

Is it even possible to shoot a gigantic aircraft into space using megapowerful, jet-fueled rockets without something coming loose - something not showing wear and tear?

[Eloriel]

6. ultra-sensitive doesn't ensure anything but sensitive

not competence, not foresight, not luck, not NOTHIN' including a complete absence of political pressure.

[geomon666]

7. I don't understand why they're still using outdated technology.

You're NASA for crying out loud. You can plan elaborate trips to Neptune and back. You can guide the smallest of satellites. You can even send a probe on a collision course with a comet speeding through space at thousands of mile an hour...but you can't ensure the safety of your own crew? One little heat tile pries loose during reentry and you have another national tragedy on your hands. Is that really acceptable?

[LeftyMom]

8. The things are just too old.

The shuttles were designed for a 10 year operating life. The Discovery was completed in 1983! The newest shuttle, the Endeavor, was completed in 1991 with spare parts built for other vehicles in the fleet.

[MisterP]

23. because NASA's not given a free hand: they objected to the less-safe

Shuttle design in use, but they were ignored because a longer cargo bay means better spy and Star Wars satellites; all unmanned launches, by the way, have been completely privatized by *.
The bottom line is, Bushco has only two concerns for space: how many bases and mines they can build up there and how many machine guns can come along

[SoCalDem]

9. The shuttle is a giant candle, with a dangling "wick"

Of course the fabric will catch fire..:silly:
Perhaps it's small enough to just disintegrate, BUT what if the tiny abrasion or nick from which it emanated is vulnerable to the heat penetration.. Sounds eerily similar to last time:cry: Once re-entry is in progress, there's no turning back :(

[truthisfreedom]

10. strangely convenient. a weather delay on the 13th, a piece of foam, now

weird strips of cloth... all newsworthy but not quite dangerous.

either bushco needs a distraction, or NASA needs extra attention to beef up their part of bush's plan to return to the moon and (to infinity and beyond!) off to mars, or... this is all about destroying NASA for good and turning it all over the kind folks at Haliburton. can you imagine that painted down the side of a US rocket?

[Dogmudgeon]

11. Spacewalkers may have to repair shuttle

Managers consider what to do about pieces dangling from Discovery

A couple of short strips of material dangling from Discovery’s belly may require an unprecedented repair by spacewalking astronauts, if engineers determine there’s even a possibility that the problem could endanger the shuttle during descent, NASA said Sunday.

Teams of experts at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Texas scrambled to understand just how serious the problem was, even as astronauts transferred tons of supplies from the shuttle to the international space station and prepared for the 13-day mission's second spacewalk.

The latest concern has nothing to do with foam or other launch debris, but rather the accidental slippage of ceramic-fiber fabric used to fill the thin gaps between thermal tiles. It will be Monday before the analysis is complete and mission managers decide whether to have the crew’s two spacewalkers cut or pull the hanging material.

More at the MSNBC website

--p!

[SoCalDem]

12. And if their repair "fails" the astronauts will be "blamed"

for their own demise:(

[Sven77]

13. its almost like they need to create an interest

manufacture drama to keep the ratings up, the shuttle went up many times before without a problem. seems like they are constructed out of eggshells now.

[Bridget Burke]

15. There have been a couple of problems in the past...

Remember how the last shuttle flight ended?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

19. When the shuttles were new, they were a lot safer to fly....

...just like an aging automobile, once they get older, things tend to fall apart faster. The first shuttle flight took place in 1982 after five years of testing (1977-1982). Just four years later in January 1986, the Challenger was blown apart on take-off. In 1988, flights resumed and continued for the next 15 years until the Columbia disaster in 2003.

Old technology coupled with an aging and very complex platform spells trouble.

[truthisfreedom]

14. what do they use on the Russian vehicles to keep them from burning up?

anyone ever ask?

[Massacure]

18. Soyuz uses an ablative heat shield.

It reflects heat just from the fact that it absorbs it and then melts off the capsule. Soyuz are designed to be used only once though.

[rocktivity]

20. The Russians say they've got our backs on this

Russia ready for shuttle rescue mission if needed
MOSCOW (AFP) - Russia could send up to three Soyuz rockets to the International Space Station (ISS) between now and February if an evacuation of the ISS crew become necessary due to problems with the US space shuttle Discovery, officials said.

..."We are hopeful and believe in the shuttle mission. But if our American partners need help, we can be of service..."

:headbang:
rocknation

[jus_the_facts]

16. sure hope they're taking the Sun's activities into account.....

FLARE 0-24 hr 24-48 hr
CLASS M 75 % 75 %
CLASS X 15 % 15 %

http://spaceweather.com/

....they could be crispy critters if not?! :shrug:

[skooooo]

17. My grandma used one of those spacewalkers...

..they sure can come in handy in a pinch!

[Mr. Peanut]

21. Budget cuts

27 August 2003

Budget Cuts Compromised NASA's Focus on Safety, Investigative Board Finds

Aug. 27--WASHINGTON--Devastating budget cuts forced NASA to slash space-shuttle programs as Congress funded pet projects and the agency's former director ignored complaints the cutbacks would hurt safety.

...budget cuts, coupled with the rise in priority of the international space station, resulted in NASA's raiding the space-shuttle budget under former Administrator Dan Goldin -- cutting the space plane's spending by more than 40 percent.

Goldin, whose "faster, better, cheaper" motto drove the agency in the 1990s, often rejected the criticism that he was sacrificing safety in the name of efficiency, the report said.

...Diverting that money came as the aging shuttle fleet needed more money to keep it flying safely, the report concluded.

Under a section titled "An Agency Doing Too Much With Too Little," the report paints a picture of budgetary neglect that diverted money from safety programs.

"Of all NASA's efforts, that program has been hardest hit by the budget constraints of the past decade," the report said. The report lists a string of incidents in which the shuttle account was raided to fund space-station overruns, a Mars program and other expenses....

http://www.rednova.com/news/space/7730/budget_cuts_compromised_nasas_focus_on_safety_investigative_board_finds/

[daleo]

22. They should try the repair, but send the shuttle down by remote control

And catch a lift back down on the Russian craft. At this point, sending the astronauts down on the shuttle would be an unnecessary risk for purely political appearances.

[BrightKnight]

24. Launch Armor

I guess that we will not be able to launch the shuttle again until it is fitted with launch armor.