Earlier today, NASA conducted a battery of tests on the external tank, which will provide the necessary fuel for the upcoming Discovery launch.
According to NASA’s report, the tank passed the 11-hour test with flying colors. To accurately test the external tank, NASA filled the giant tank with liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen fuel to evaluate how the Shuttle launch vehicle performed when it was filled with “two super-cold propellants.”
Image Courtesy of NASA
Michael Kostelnik, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for International Space Station and Space Shuttle Programs shared his excited thoughts, “With the completion of this tanking test, NASA is one step closer to returning the Space Shuttle fleet to flight. Although we have further milestones to complete before we fly, we are proud of the technical advancements we have made the last two years to ensure a safe mission.”
The report also reveals:
During the test, NASA’s ice/debris team thoroughly inspected the fueled tank looking for frost and ice buildup. Although ice is expected to form on the ET, the team has strengthened its inspection criteria based on results from tests performed at several NASA centers and other research facilities.
“This test provides another data point for us to consider,” said Neil Otte, chief engineer for the External Tank Project Office at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. “The information we gain will give us added confidence in the tank,” he added.
The tanking test is not required by NASA to certify redesigns made on the ET. It’s done to demonstrate the effectiveness of the redesigned tank bipod heater system. It replaced the original bipod ramp design, which had foam on it. Today’s test also checked out the new “drip-lip” design that’s intended to reduce the potential for ice accumulation on the joints that allow the tank’s fuel line to adjust.
Eight similar tests have been conducted. Seven of those tests were performed from 1981 to 1983, the first three years of the Shuttle program. The first super-lightweight ET was tested prior to its flight on STS-91 in June 1998. There have also been seven flight readiness firings that included tanking and firing the main engines.
The Discovery mission has a launch window, which is between May 15 and June 3, 2005.
Chris Richardson is a search engine writer and editor for Murdok. Visit Murdok for the latest search news.
