Fuente : NASA
http://www.nasa.gov/

NASA: External Tank Update

/noticias.info/ NASA gave an update on the work of two engineering teams looking into why a large piece of External Tank insulating foam broke off during Space Shuttle Discovery's liftoff. International Space Station Program Manager Bill Gerstenmaier, who is leading the effort, spoke with the media via teleconference on August 11.

The engineering teams already have begun work to understand the causes behind the foam loss, which was identified in imagery taken during Discovery's launch July 26. The first team, known as the Marshall Action Team, has begun working through a fault-tree analysis, a methodical look at nearly all possible causes of an incident. The second team, known as the External Tank Tiger Team, has been set up to perform an independent engineering assessment of work to resolve the foam loss issue.

Houston Homecoming

The Return to Flight crew received a cheering and patriotic welcome during a homecoming ceremony at Ellington Field in Houston on Wednesday, August 10. Among the audience celebrating the crew's triumphant mission were the astronaut's families, senior members of NASA's staff, U.S. Senators and representatives of the Japanese Space Agency.

Commander Eileen Collins was the first member of the crew to speak to the proud crowd. "I want to give my thanks to the people I've worked with," said Collins. "Getting the Shuttle flying again was difficult work, but it was a labor of love and the people who worked to get this mission flying again did it because they loved it and believed in what they were doing."

Discovery spent two weeks in space, where the crew demonstrated new methods to inspect and repair the Shuttle in orbit. The crew also delivered supplies, outfitted and performed maintenance on the International Space Station. Spacewalker Steve Robinson did some unprecedented repair work, removing protruding gap fillers from Discovery's heat shield.
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