Posted: Sat, Mar 8, 2003, 4:35 PM ET (2135 GMT)
NASA is currently investigating a number of safety improvements to the shuttle program as it eyes a return to flight no later than mid-2004, according to published reports. Florida Today reported Saturday that NASA is working on plans to restart shuttle missions as soon as this July, even though the investigation into the Columbia accident could last for months. NASA hopes to have the shuttle flying again by mid-2004 so it can continue the assembly and normal operations of the International Space Station. To that end, the Orlando Sentinel reported Friday that five safety improvements are already in the works. Those changes include designing the foam insulation around the bipod struts that mate the nose of the shuttle orbiter to the external tank, a location where foam has broken off on previous flights. NASA is also looking at ways to repair tile damage in orbit, improving ground-based observations of shuttle launches, installing additional cameras on the shuttle itself, and making changes to the shuttle's reentry trajectory to reduce heating on critical areas.
