NASA finds cracks on shuttle tanks

0 Comments | AFP, August, 2007

WASHINGTON (AFP) — NASA found tiny cracks in the insulation on fuel tanks due to be installed on two space shuttles scheduled for missions this year, the US space agency said on Sunday.

The minute fissures shown by X-rays could explain why the shuttle Endeavour lost bits of insulating foam when it blasted off on the latest US mission this month, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said.

"Foam loss from the liquid oxygen feedline brackets on the ... external tank during launch caused thermal tile damage to Endeavour," it said in a statement.

"While a change to the brackets was already in progress on tanks now in production, the problem on the tank being used for STS-120 will be remedied by using different foam on the brackets," it said,...