Fergie's Tech Blog

NASA Official Offers Shuttle Foam Loss Theory

An AP newswire article by Marcia Dunn, via Space.com, reports that:

Workers may have accidentally cut or crushed the section of foam that broke off Discovery's fuel tank during its launch two months ago—a mishap that threatened the safety of the astronauts and grounded the shuttle fleet.

That is the leading theory for the cause behind the disturbing loss of foam insulation that cast a cloud over NASA's return to space, said Wayne Hale, the newly appointed manager of the space shuttle program.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Hale said the shuttle will not fly again until the foam insulation problem is resolved _ no sooner than spring.

He also said repair work has been set back because of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The storms dealt ``a severe blow'' to resuming shuttle flights and caused NASA to lose three months of work, he said.

posted by Fergie @ 10/05/2005 06:46:00 AM