NASA finds nine-inch cracks in Discovery's external fuel tank

by Steven Mostyn - Nov 11 2010, 06:38

Already struck by problematic mission delays, the space shuttle Discovery looks set to remain on terra firma for some time yet, following news that NASA has located a number of worrying cracks in the orbiter’s external fuel tank.

Specifically, two sizable fractures in the tank’s metal body were discovered yesterday by NASA engineers as they carried out repair work on a separate 20-inch crack in the tank’s foam insulation.

“[The cracks] were found by one of the stringers, which are composite aluminium ribs located vertically on the tank’s intertank area,” outlined NASA in an official statement.”

NASA has said it is currently working on a strategy to repair the cracks, which are both reportedly nine inches in length, without having to move Discovery from its launch pad at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center.

“This is still really early on, so the exact repair method and schedule is still being figured out,” a NASA spokesman relayed in a Space.com report.

“It’s just a matter of the repair method and how best to go about it,” he added. “Right now, we’re looking at repair options that can be done at the pad.”

Discovery’s launch has already been pushed back to November 30 after inclement weather, electrical problems and a series of gas leaks hamstrung NASA’s original plans for the shuttle’s final flight to the International Space Station.

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