|
By Harry Newton
With technicians having “performed a walk down” of Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39A to determine the impact of a disintegrating feeler gauge on Discovery, NASA exhibited just how seriously it takes space shuttle safety.
Kennedy operatives began, on Tuesday to “replace the 7-inch quick disconnect seal at space shuttle Discovery’s ground umbilical carrier plate, or GUCP, to ensure its connection to the vent line, which carries hydrogen gas away from the pad.” In the process, “while measurements were being taken on the GUCP, a feeler gauge came apart and some components of the gauge fell from the work area.”
Subsequently, the engineers “identified minor foam damage to the backside of the external tank,” which will “not need repair.” The high-tech piece of equipment employed by the space agency to measure critical clearances is “13 pieces of metal about the thickness of a piece of paper held together by a retainer screw.”
The conclusion by NASA is that: “All components from the gauge have been located.”
On Thursday morning, NASA will hold a Flight Readiness Review to see if Discovery is fit for its last trip on February, 24 on its STS-133 mission to the International Space Station. It will be carrying essential spares and the converted multi-purpose logistics module Leonardo, which will then become permanent extra storage at the orbiting outpost.
|
