Post by Shadow on Dec 30, 2005 15:51:01 GMT -5
New Scientist
# 12:29 16 December 2005
# NewScientist.com news service
# Kelly Young
The next space shuttle will probably fly without a foam ramp on the external tank, NASA said on Thursday. Part of this ramp fell off during the latest shuttle launch in July - and it was a foam strike that led to the loss of Columbia and its crew in 2003.
The protuberance air load (PAL) ramp runs the length of the tank and is designed to prevent air getting underneath a cable tray and pressurisation lines, causing extra vibrations during launch.
“We’re looking now at probably not flying the PAL ramp,” said NASA associate administrator for space operations Bill Gerstenmaier.
NASA managers initially said that if they were to remove the ramp, they would not be able to make the necessary adjustments until late 2006. But a closer analysis of aerodynamic stresses in that area suggests the changes could be ready for the next shuttle flight, which may launch as early as May 2006.
Ice ramp
Taking off the PAL ramp might mean technicians also have to alter an ice/frost ramp on the external tank, possibly by spraying on more foam. “We’re not sure exactly how to design that,” Gerstenmaier said. More analysis needs to be done to determine whether such a fix is necessary, he added.
Depending on the options chosen, the changes could be completed in January to prepare the tank for shipment from the plant in Louisiana to Florida’s Kennedy Space Center in February. But other options could push the next launch beyond May.
# 12:29 16 December 2005
# NewScientist.com news service
# Kelly Young
The next space shuttle will probably fly without a foam ramp on the external tank, NASA said on Thursday. Part of this ramp fell off during the latest shuttle launch in July - and it was a foam strike that led to the loss of Columbia and its crew in 2003.
The protuberance air load (PAL) ramp runs the length of the tank and is designed to prevent air getting underneath a cable tray and pressurisation lines, causing extra vibrations during launch.
“We’re looking now at probably not flying the PAL ramp,” said NASA associate administrator for space operations Bill Gerstenmaier.
NASA managers initially said that if they were to remove the ramp, they would not be able to make the necessary adjustments until late 2006. But a closer analysis of aerodynamic stresses in that area suggests the changes could be ready for the next shuttle flight, which may launch as early as May 2006.
Ice ramp
Taking off the PAL ramp might mean technicians also have to alter an ice/frost ramp on the external tank, possibly by spraying on more foam. “We’re not sure exactly how to design that,” Gerstenmaier said. More analysis needs to be done to determine whether such a fix is necessary, he added.
Depending on the options chosen, the changes could be completed in January to prepare the tank for shipment from the plant in Louisiana to Florida’s Kennedy Space Center in February. But other options could push the next launch beyond May.