NASA's launch pad repairs will be finished in time for Hubble trip

by William Atkins

Monday, 30 June 2008

Page 1 of 2 ! A $2.7 million repair job is being performed on Launch Pad 39A after the NASA space shuttle Discovery damaged it when it lifted off May 31, 2008, for its STS-124 mission to the International Space Station. Officials with NASA confirm that the repairs were started the weekend of Saturday, June 28, 2008, and are expected to be finished before the space shuttle Atlantis lifts off on October 8, 2008. The STS-125 mission will be the fifth and final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. The damage occurred within the east wall of the flame trench, which is part of the launch pad. Thousands of bricks, pieces of concrete, and other debris were flung from the wall by the tremendous blast of the shuttle’s liftoff. NASA conjectures that the damage occurred because of long-term corrosion to the structure and stress of the launch itself. A brief history of Launch Complex 39 follows on page two. << First page <   1 2 Next page > Last page - Post your comment >>

 

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