[Mb-civic] NASA to Ground Shuttles Again - Washington Post

[William Swiggard]

<>NASA to Ground Shuttles Again
Close Call During Discovery Launch Shows That Foam Still Poses a Risk

By Guy Gugliotta
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, July 28, 2005; Page A01

HOUSTON, July 27 -- NASA said Wednesday that it will again ground the 
space shuttle fleet after analysts discovered that during the launch of 
Discovery the external fuel tank lost chunks of foam insulation similar 
to those that fatally damaged Columbia 2 1/2 years ago.

Officials at the space agency said the debris apparently did not hit 
Discovery, whose 13-day mission to supply the international space 
station remained unimpaired, but shuttle program manager William W. 
Parsons's decision to postpone future flights indefinitely was a 
stunning blow to the U.S. manned spaceflight program.

"Until we fix this, we're not ready to fly again," a grim-faced Parsons 
said in a news conference at Johnson Space Center. "I don't know if it's 
a month; I don't know if it's three months. We have a lot of work to do, 
and we'll do it."

<>For NASA, which is struggling to recover both prestige and expertise 
after the Columbia disaster, the foam loss was a major setback. 
Engineers had made reducing launch debris their priority before flying 
the three remaining shuttles again, and they had virtually guaranteed 
that the tank would shed only tiny pieces of insulation.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/27/AR2005072700249.html?referrer=email 

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