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Columbia Space Shuttle |
Investigators from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) have discovered technical faults in the Columbia and Discovery space shuttles. However, they have yet to find a clear explanation for the Columbia shuttle disaster in 2003 and the postponement of the Discovery launch last July.
During the investigation into the cause of the large thermal insulation foam pieces detaching from the Columbia and Discovery shuttles—leading to the tragic accident that resulted in the loss of the entire Columbia crew in 2003 while returning to Earth—investigators found nine small cracks in the foam of the external fuel tank. However, they are uncertain about the role these cracks played in causing the insulation foam to detach.
John Chapman, who is responsible for manufacturing NASA’s external fuel tanks, stated: “The cracks we discovered are indeed noteworthy. We are still continuing to investigate what happened.”
Wayne Hale, NASA’s program director for the space shuttle, mentioned that the agency is still working on research aimed at launching another shuttle in May of next year, but did not provide specific details on the plan.
T.VY
