Top Science News

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Inspectors institute no alteration to the Space Shuttle Discovery or to its outside reserve tanks after a thin multi-piece activity agency lapse during bushel work, NASA said Thursday.

The happening has not compromised Discovery's Feb 24 assignment to the International Space Station (ISS), said Allard Beutel, spokesman at the President Space Center in Florida.

A sensitiveness judge -- a 13-part metal agency most as fat as a example of essay held unitedly by a consideration screw -- came unconnected late Wednesday and lapse from the start pad, Beutel told AFP.

The happening took place as technicians denaturized a accolade at the connector umbilical carrier plate, or GUCP, on the shuttle's outside render tank.

"Engineers hit identified minor sparkle alteration to the backside of the outside tank, which module not requirement repair. All components from the judge hit been located," NASA said in a statement.

The assignment module intend a naif reddened and a start instance after NASA officials foregather on Feb 18.

The shuttle was initially ordered to start on November 5 but the attempt was scrubbed after gas leaks were detected.

Discovery's 11-day assignment with its all-American crew of sextet is to have a controlled logistics module titled "Leonardo" to the International Space Station, which module be permanently bespoken to the expanse station to wage more storage space.

The three US shuttles -- the other digit are Atlantis and Endeavour -- are due to become museum pieces erst the final shuttle assignment takes place.

Endeavour is ordered for takeoff on Apr 19 and Atlantis is scheduled for June 28, after which the famed fast module be retired.

Source