spacetoday.net: More cracks found in shuttle's external tank

Posted: Fri, Dec 31, 2010, 9:32 AM ET (1432 GMT)

NASA shuttle managers said Thursday that technicians have found additional cracks in the shuttle's external tank, but have put off a decision on whether to do additional modifications to the tank. An examination of the external tank attached to Discovery found four small cracks in three aluminum brackets, or stringers, on the opposite side of the tank from the orbiter. Managers decided to repair those cracks using the same technique used to repair the cracks previously found. However, officials put off until at least Monday a decision on whether to make additional modifications to other stringers to prevent cracks from forming, as engineers await the results of other analyses. The repairs are now currently expected to delay the shuttle's launch, now planned for no earlier than February 3.