The external fuel tank for the shuttle Atlantis – which would launch on a rescue mission if the next shuttle experienced a major mishap – suffered two problems of its own this week.
While repairing a small nick in the foam on the side of the tank that faces away from the crew-carrying orbiter, technicians noticed small beads of water inside the foam itself.
"It was described as the size of a tear," says spokesperson Tracy Young of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, US.
NASA does not yet know exactly how much water might be in the foam. But the tank was at the Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans, Louisiana, US, when Hurricane Katrina stormed through in August 2005. They suspect water might have gotten into the foam during that storm.
To see how much water is inside, technicians will take infrared scans of the foam insulation, which is in the ribbed midsection of the tank between the hydrogen and oxygen tanks. They will know the results of the scan beginning next week.
Young says technicians plan to drill a hole in the foam to drain the water. Then they will patch the hole. The fix is not expected to delay the tank, which will be mated to the Atlantis orbiter for a planned launch in August.
Atlantis could also be called upon to fly to the International Space Station to rescue the crew of the shuttle Discovery if it is damaged during launch. Discovery is set to launch as early as 1 July.
NASA is not concerned about water seepage on Discovery's tank because it was stowed safely in Florida when Hurricane Katrina hit.
Atlantis's tank was dented on Monday, when workers accidentally bumped the tank with a work platform. That left a dent in the foam that was about 1 centimetre deep and 10 cm long.
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17:45 21 August 2008
11:17 21 August 2008
