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NASA managers elated with shuttle fueling test BY WILLIAM HARWOOD STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION Posted: April 14, 2005 The space shuttle's redesigned fuel tank sailed through a critical tanking test today, giving NASA managers increased confidence about launching Discovery on the first post-Columbia shuttle mission next month.
"Today, we saw the newly modified external tank perform in an outstanding manner, we saw Discovery, which has gone through about three years of modifications, perform in an outstanding manner. And I have to also say the launch pad, the facility, which has gone through a major modification and extensive re-work, performed almost without flaw of any consequence." Engineers pumped more than 500,000 gallons of supercold rocket fuel into Discovery's external tank today and then monitored the tank and the shuttle's systems down to the T-minus 31-second mark in a mock countdown. It was the first such tanking operation since Columbia's launch Jan. 16, 2003. "Today's test was a major milestone," said launch director Mike Leinbach. "The next one is launch, and I'm really looking forward to that one." The goals of the exercise were to give the launch team a chance to rehearse launch-day procedures, to verify the operation of critical launch pad systems and to demonstrate the tank's foam insulation could stand up to the stress of ultra-low temperatures without any major ice buildups. During a debris verification review late last week, engineers discussed all possible sources of launch debris and retired all but three. The remaining open items involve the possibility of ice buildups around liquid oxygen feed line fittings near the so-called intertank region and pressurization line support fittings at the tip of the tank. Post-Columbia impact testing shows even small pieces of ice, shaking off during launch, could cause serious damage to the shuttle's wing leading edge panels or its nose cap. Columbia was destroyed during re-entry Feb. 1, 2003, because of damage done by the impact of foam insulation during launch 16 days earlier. The insulation has now been been modified to minimize such debris shedding. During today's test, ice buildups in the areas of concern were minimal and Hale said engineers are hopeful additional testing will close the remaining open items on the debris impact list. "Ice is a biggie," Hale said. "One of the things we were very interested to look at today was the performance of the tank and ice growth on the tank," Hale said. "It performed very well, that is heartening news. But that is not all the story. "We're doing some testing at Redstone Arsenal and other places regarding the potential for ice to shed off the tank during the ascent and we think there are a number of ways we're going to come to a good conclusion on that. But there is work remaining before us on that." Discovery's launch window opens May 15 and closes June 3. The next window opens July 13. Leinbach said now that the tanking test is over, the pad processing flow is fairly standard with no other unusual tests. Between now and May 15, he said, the pad processing flow includes three days with no work planned. "That's good news for us," he said. "Even better news for us is the test we performed today was the last non-standard activity we have at the launch pad. From here on out, it's standard pad processing. ... From here on out the rest of the pad flow is well understood. The fact that we have 'just' three days, if you want to say it that way, is not that bad." But the time needed to resolve the remaining debris concerns forced NASA, in part, to delay a planned design certification review from Friday to next Tuesday. Another debris review is planned late next week and that information must then flow into NASA's flight readiness review process and to an independent panel charged with monitoring NASA's implementation of post-Columbia safety upgrades. The review panel, headed by former Apollo astronaut Thomas Stafford and former shuttle commander Richard Covey, had hoped to present its final report to NASA's administrator a full month before launch to give the agency time to respond. That no longer appears plausible, but no firm dates have been set. Hale would not speculate on when the work might get finished, saying only that NASA will not launch Discovery until it is safe to do so. But he was clearly encouraged by the results of today's tanking test. "Both the debris verification review, the upcoming design certification review and the tanking test that we did today are key items on the way to being ready to go fly," he said. "We're not done yet, but these are key things that we needed to get accomplished. We're whittling down the to-do list of things we must do before we can we can certify the vehicle for flight readiness."
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VIDEO:
TODAY'S FUELING TEST GETS UNDERWAY