New repairs and additional imaging begin on space shuttle Discovery
Image scans of all 108 of the external tank’s support beams revealed four small cracks on three beams on the side opposite the shuttle.
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NASA Headquarters, Washington, D.C. —
Published:
January 3, 2011 Technician is getting ready to take a computed radiography (CR) image scan of the tank. The red machine in the foreground is the CR device. NASA/Frankie Martin
Also beginning today is another round of imaging — this time, using the backscatter method — on all of the tank's stringers. Engineers at various NASA centers continue to analyze testing and imaging data.
The repair work is estimated to take 2 to 3 days. Any further work will be evaluated thoroughly during the week after additional data and analysis are reviewed.
Managers also continue to evaluate an option to perform known and practiced modifications on some stringers. Before breaking for the holiday, technicians reconfigured scaffolding to provide access for the modification work should it be required. A decision may be made on that work as early as today.
The next available launch date window for Discovery's STS-133 mission to the International Space Station remains February 3 through February 10.
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