spacetoday.net: NASA puts a hold on additional shuttle tank modifications

Posted: Sat, Apr 29, 2006, 10:31 AM ET (1431 GMT)
STS-107: launch (NASA/KSC)

Shuttle managers announced Friday that they have decided to leave in place a number of foam ramps on the shuttle's external tank, deciding that the risks associated with making additional changes to the tank outweighed the risk of foam falling off the ramps. The "ice/frost" ramps are located on pressurization line fittings on the tank and could be a source of some of the foam that has fallen off the tank during shuttle launches. While some within NASA argued that the ramps should be removed, NASA decided it would make "one change at a time" to the tank, with the focus on the removal of much larger PAL foam ramps on the tank. Engineers are still working on an aerodynamic analysis of the tank without the ramps. A decision on whether or not to remove the ramps is not expected before a flight readiness review on June 16. Discovery is still scheduled for launch on mission STS-121 during a launch window that opens July 1.