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NASA has begun reinforcing support beams on the external fuel tank of the space shuttle Discovery after extensive X-ray imaging last week revealed new cracks in some of the structural supports ahead of the spacecraft's final mission, scheduled for early February.
Technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., are using extra pieces of aluminum to reinforce 34 of the 108 aluminum support beams around the midsection of Discovery's fuel tank, the area that NASA officials have said undergoes the most stress during launch.
Shuttle program managers are expected to meet tomorrow (Jan. 6) to evaluate the progress and determine whether the same modifications are needed for the rest of the tank's metal support beams.
Discovery is currently slated to deliver supplies and equipment to the International Space Station Feb. 3 on the space shuttle's final voyage. The mission has been delayed since November due to the fuel tank concerns and other issues.
Technicians at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., are using extra pieces of aluminum to reinforce 34 of the 108 aluminum support beams around the midsection of Discovery's fuel tank, the area that NASA officials have said undergoes the most stress during launch.
Shuttle program managers are expected to meet tomorrow (Jan. 6) to evaluate the progress and determine whether the same modifications are needed for the rest of the tank's metal support beams.
Discovery is currently slated to deliver supplies and equipment to the International Space Station Feb. 3 on the space shuttle's final voyage. The mission has been delayed since November due to the fuel tank concerns and other issues.
