Some space shuttle gears were installed backwards.

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Shuttle gears were installed backward
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By Marcia Dunn

March 22, 2004 | CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) -- To prevent another catastrophe, NASA will replace braking mechanisms on all its space shuttles after discovering some of the gears were installed backward.

Shuttle program manager Bill Parsons said Monday he has launched an investigation into why the rudder speed brake gears -- all old original parts in the shuttle tails -- were never inspected in more than two decades of flight. If one of the improperly installed gears had been in a high-stress position, it probably would have led to the destruction of the spacecraft at touchdown, he said.

"Bottom line is, it was not good," Parsons said.

The rudder speed brake is used to guide and slow the shuttle as it comes in for a landing. If even one of the four sets of gears that operate the mechanism jams, then the spacecraft could not land safely.




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As it turns out, the rudder speed brake gears found recently in Discovery were in the least stress-prone position and never failed. But one of the replacement gears -- a spare set that was also installed backward -- would have ended up in a much more high-stress location in the tail.

All the rudder speed