Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Middle East Foam & Polyurethane
  • UTECH Asia/PU China
  • UTECH Europe
  • UTECH Las Americas
Subscribe
  • My Account
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Coronavirus
  • News
    • Asia
    • Americas
    • Europe
    • M & A
    • Financial results
    • Automotive
    • Perma-Pipe uses PU in Indian pipeline insulation project
      MPOB develops palm oil polyol
      BPCL Polyol project in doubt
      Japan's lacklustre PU production continued in November 2020
    • World automotive registrations recover in H2 2020
      Mlily to increase US market share following anti-dumping duties
      US footwear imports up 25% in November 2020
      Introducing UTECH Southeast Asia 2022
    • Wheat waste transformed into PU foam
      EC approves Kingspan's TeraSteel and Wetterbest purchases
      BTC Europe to distribute BASF’s polyurethane ingredients
      World automotive registrations recover in H2 2020
    • BPCL Polyol project in doubt
      PPG buys polyurea company Versaflex
      Recticel buys FoamPartner
      Recticel upgrades Q3 outlook despite raw material tightness
    • BPCL Polyol project in doubt
      Huafon estimates 2020 profit will be up to 40% higher than 2019
      Mlily to increase US market share following anti-dumping duties
      Stellar Q4 performance saves Wanhua 2020 earnings
    • World automotive registrations recover in H2 2020
      Car sales down 25% in Western Europe in 2020
      Patchy coronavirus effects hit global car sales in November
      November continues fall in Western Europe's car sales
  • Data
  • Information
    • Country Overview
    • Market Sector overviews
    • Technical articles
    • Company profiles and strategies
    • China’s PU industry on the path to recovery; plans for technology upgrades
      Chinese cold chains grow bigger
      Flexible foam rises to challenges in the Middle East and Africa
      Life at the cross-roads: what does the GCC offer PU?
    • Europe's flexible foam makers face rising prices as outages hit markets
      Western European car registrations rebound slowed in September
      Western European car registrations regained some ground in August
      Western European Car registrations rebound continued in July
    • Take out the VOC with hybrid release agents
      Batteries give pultrusions power
      Seeing a way through VOC and FOG
      Aromatic polyols for simpler rigid PU formulations
    • Hennecke and Frimo: an automotive partnership
      Pushing ahead: AutoRIM drives KM’s UK growth
      BASF opens it first ‘Creation Center’ in Mumbai with a PU twist
      Persistence pays off for CTM
  • Events
    • Exhibitions
    • Conferences
    • Webinars / Livestreams
    • Become a Speaker
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
  • Issues
  • Subscribe
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
March 02, 2006 12:00 AM

Redesigned fuel tank for next shuttle shipped to Florida

Utech Staff
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    By Liz White, UT staffWashington-A newly designed external fuel tank, with various adaptations to its rigid polyurethane foam insulation covering, has been delivered to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, for the Space Shuttle Discovery's next missionIn the redesign, intended to minimise the risk of any polyurethane foam coming away from the tank and damaging the shuttle itself, the two Protuberance Air Load (PAL) ramps have been eliminated. These ramps protected a cable tray and two pressurised oxygen and hydrogen lines during the launch. The liquid oxygen ramp was 14-ft (4.3-m) long and weighed 14 lb (6.4 kg) while the liquid hydrogen one was 38-ft long and contains 21 lb of foam.Following last summer's shuttle flight, NASA's inspections, analysis and testing on external tanks at Michoud resulted in a decision that it would be safer to fly the remaining shuttle missions without the ramps. NASA said it will carry out wind tunnel testing to try and corroborate those conclusions. NASA's redesign of these parts followed the realisation that, during the previous flight, 16 pieces of foam came away from the tank. "Although the majority of these foam losses took place late in the ascent and, therefore, posed less risk to the Orbiter, the large size of some of the foam losses caused concern because they were much larger than analysis had predicted was likely," NASA's return-to-flight documentation says. Minor redesign of the ice/frost ramps and work on foam segments that cover support brackets along the pressurisation lines was also carried out. The tank's bipod fittings were also adapted to prevent nitrogen leakage into the intertank area. Void spaces beneath the cables in this region were eliminated with improved bonding, to ensure complete adhesive coverage.NASA's statement on the tank's movement from Michoud to Florida paid tribute to workers at the NASA Michoud Assembly Facility near New Orleans, who "persevered through their own personal hardships," to deliver the new tank. At Kennedy, the tank will go to the Vehicle Assembly Building for final checkout and will eventually be attached to the twin solid rocket boosters and Discovery for its mission (STS-121) to the International Space Station. NASA managers are targeting a launch window for Discovery in May, said a 24 Feb statement from NASA. PIC: The Pegasus barge carrying space shuttle external tank ET-119 approaches Port Canaveral in Florida just a few hours before docking at nearby Kennedy Space Center (NASA/KSC). "

    Recommended for You
    Perma-Pipe uses PU in Indian pipeline insulation project
    Perma-Pipe uses PU in Indian pipeline insulation project
    World TPU market shrank in 2020
    World TPU market shrank in 2020
    MPOB develops palm oil polyol
    MPOB develops palm oil polyol
    Latest Issue
    Click HERE for Free Download
    View All Archives
    Get our newsletters

    Breaking news and in-depth coverage of essential topics delivered straight to your inbox.

    Subscribe today

    Register to access our archive of leading information on the polyurethanes industry.

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Youtube

    Follow us on social media for the latest polyurethanes industry news and event updates.

    Logo
    Contact Us

    Office 127,
    61, Willow Walk,
    London
    SE1 5SF
    E-mail us
    +44 (0) 203 287 5979

    Customer Service:
    +1 313 446 0450

    Resources
    • Advertise with Us
    • Media Kit
    • Staff
    • Careers
    • Ad Choices Ad Choices
    • Sitemap
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2021. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • Coronavirus
    • News
      • Asia
      • Americas
      • Europe
      • M & A
      • Financial results
      • Automotive
    • Data
    • Information
      • Country Overview
      • Market Sector overviews
      • Technical articles
      • Company profiles and strategies
    • Events
      • Exhibitions
      • Conferences
      • Webinars / Livestreams
      • Become a Speaker
    • Advertise
    • Contact Us
    • Issues
    • Subscribe