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Mr. Hill said a spacewalk repair was not likely but that his engineers and analysts were looking closely at the issue and that he could not rule one out. Gap fillers, as their name implies, fill the gaps that NASA leaves between some shuttle tiles to allow for expansion and contraction of the shuttle's body from the extremes of heat and cold that it is exposed to. The fillers themselves are heat resistant, and are made of alumina-borosilicate fiber. Having gap filler poke its way out up from between tiles is not uncommon, but it could be a concern because it causes an uneven surface and can lead to unusual patterns of heating during re-entry.
If a filler pokes out too much, especially if it is far forward on the shuttle so that its downstream heating affects a larger part of the shuttle's belly, it could be a problem, Mr. Hill said. NASA, through a long examination of all previous landings with protruding bits of gap filler, had found a comfort level with protrusions in the same areas that stick out a quarter of an inch, he said. But the two pieces on this flight are one inch and six-tenths of an inch, he said. This shuttle and the space station have been outfitted with more cameras and sensors than ever before, and so they might be detecting something that has happened many times in the past; it is possible that the felt like material burns down during re-entry, and that longer protrusions have occurred in the past.
But one quarter inch is within 'our conventional wisdom, ' Mr. Hill said, and so the little strips of cloth have become an intense focus of aerodynamic analysis, he said. Aerodynamics experts have been studying the size and the position of the two gap filler protrusions, Mr. Hill said. Some members of the engineering community are concerned, he said, while others believe 'this is not a big deal. ' If mission managers do order a spacewalk, it is likeliest to take place on Wednesday, during an already-scheduled walk that was originally planned to focus on installing an external equipment cabinet on the station's airlock. It is also possible, but even less likely, that the task would take place in an entirely new spacewalk that could take place during the extra day of the mission that NASA has added to allow even more supplies from the shuttle to be loaded on to the station.
An important goal of this mission is to test the extensive modifications that NASA has made to the external fuel tank and its foam, which tends to shear and pop off during the stress of launching and can strike the orbiter. The loss of the shuttle Columbia and its crew occurred because a 1. 67 -pound piece of foam hit the left wing during the ascent, creating a hole that let in superheated gases during entry. NASA has said that, thanks to extensive modifications to its external tank, Discovery has sustained 25 nicks and dings, one sixth the number that shuttles generally return to Earth with. But a. 9 -pound piece of foam fell off the tank and narrowly missed the orbiter.
That compelled officials to suspend further shuttle flights until the problem is resolved. Perhaps three other pieces that were larger than NASA's safety rules allow fell off the tank as well. The analysis of the shuttle's delicate tiles and the heat-resistant blankets that coat the top of Discovery is complete, Mr. Hill said, and no risks to the shuttle or the crew have been discovered there.
Analysis of the panels that line the leading edge of the wing and the nose cap is still going on and should be completed by Monday, he said, but the general impression of the shuttle team on the ground is that the panels, too, pose no safety concerns. NASA made the rounds of the Sunday talk shows as well - even from space. In interviews from aboard Discovery, the shuttle's commander, Eileen Collins, that she was 'surprised' to find the external tank lost such a large piece of foam after all the work NASA had done to correct the problem. 'There are 2 1 / 2 million other parts on the space shuttle that are working perfectly right now, 's he added, 'and we have confidence in that and we know the shuttle is going to get us home. Speaking on 'Meet the Press, ' NASA's administrator, Michael Griffin, said, 'We think Discovery is safe to bring home, ' though the team on the ground is still 'working a couple of issues. ' He admitted, once again, that 'we goofed' in not changing the part of the external tank that the largest piece of foam fell off, known as the PAL ramp. 'I was surprised to see a large chunk of foam come off of that tank, ' he said. 'I think everyone was. ' He added, 'we cannot eliminate all debris, ' but explained that NASA's goal has been to reduce the amount and size of debris to the level that the risk they pose to the shuttle and crew is roughly the same as other inevitable risks of flight, including the potential for the engines to fly apart or for the shuttle to be hit by orbital debris. When asked by the program moderator, Tim Russert, when he would be 'absolutely confident that it would be safe for Discovery to return home, ' Dr.
Griffin said, 'When Eileen has Discovery stopped on the runway and is ready to be towed off. There is no elimination of all risk. There is no absolute confidence. ' As to whether the money that the United States spends on space might be better used elsewhere, Dr. Griffin said, 'Humans will not be confined to this planet forever. If we, the United States, back away from space exploration, other people will be there and we won't. ' That is 'an unacceptable alternative, ' he said: 'We want other humans to be there with us, but we don't want other humans to be there without us. '
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Research essay sample on Piece Of Foam Pound Piece Of Foam Shuttle
