Discovery ship will fly again

Eventually Discovery will be launched into space on July 1, 2006, despite controversy. There have been many fears of a catastrophic accident happening to these old old ships (Discovery made the first flight on August 30, 1984).

Some 'protect' ideas suggest that the ship will be safe with repairs and improvements. However, there is one problem that overcomes this controversy: the fact that the United States has not had any kind of ship that can replace the current shuttle fleet until 2012, and the United States cannot stop launching explorer ships. Time for Russia to take over the 'upper class'.

The solution to repair and improve shuttle is the current optimal condition that the US must choose. The crashed Colombian shuttle 2-2003 killed the entire crew of seven. According to the investigation, the main reason is because a piece of insulation of the fuel tank fell off and hit the left wing to damage the insulation, causing the ship to explode when returning to Earth.

Based on the images that recorded most of the launches, NASA engineers were able to know what was the risk. The most worrisome is the possibility that the insulation panels of the fuel tank peel off or pieces of ice that close on the falling and colliding fuel pipes damage the shuttle's insulation sheets. After a period of improvement and repair, the flight test in July 2005 also encountered a similar accident as the insulating piece on a fuel tank but did not hit the hull.

Since then, after many delays and repairs, NASA believes there have been some important improvements that can continue to launch ships. These improvements are as follows:

- Adjust the shuttle rack set. This is the shuttle rack for fuel tanks. Insulation layer of thicker fuel tank. The new design avoids letting these insulating pieces fall and eliminate freezing with an electric heater.

- Fuel storage tanks, including oxygen and liquid hydrogen, are also upgraded to avoid dropping insulation panels.

- Improving the method of mounting insulation panels, reducing cases of falling, flaking which is the cause mainly and often in launch times.

- Improved connecting buloong. According to the new design, the connecting bolts are retained when the two boosters separate the fuel tank.

- As soon as the two boosters separated from the fuel tank, the submarine immediately fired the two missiles away from the fuel tank as well as the shuttle, avoiding collision.

- Two cameras mounted on two boosters observe the wings and belly of the shuttle. This movie will, like a 'black box', help check things out, after picking up two ocean boosters.

- NASA also installed nine new cameras. A small camera mounted on a fuel tank transfers realistic images of the shuttle and the edges of the wings. Camcorders also change from film to digital, so images are transmitted immediately to Earth during flight.

- One needs a camcorder and a laser inspection system is attached at the end of the machine arm. This increases the reach of the arm's reach twice as much as 100 feet. Astronauts use this tool to check for damage outside the ship.

- Each edge of the front wing is attached with 22 thermal sensors to measure the temperature. Each wing mounted 66 accelerometers to detect the position and strength of the impact. In addition, the temperature sensor is also attached to the rack and vibration sensor attached to the fuel tank. Data from these sensors are used to calculate safety performance for tanks.

- When the ship returns to Earth, the technician uses the spectral method to check each cell due to the heat appearing on the edge of the shuttle wing, checking the burns, blasts, cracks in the approach of the Left Land in terrible high temperatures.

- 24,300 insulated panels on board. To repair minor damage on these plates, the astronaut can apply a gray substance to the damaged areas, like a glue spray, to increase the resistance of the insulation to the process of returning to the left. land.

- To repair minor damage on the wings, astronauts can use a spray gun to pump a mortar-like substance into cracks. After applying this heat-resistant black material, a special knife can be used to smooth the crack surface. In order to patch a hole in the carbon sheet, the patch layers called RCC can now be placed to seal and adjust the pins.

- With holes in insulation panels, use a tool like a cover. This is a carbon-permeable silicon carbide material that attaches to a hole with a screw.

- To protect liquid oxygen pipes (a total of five paths into the combustion chamber) which are easily frozen, the previously exposed metal pipes, now protected by special gels and a shell glass fiber.

NASA believes that with that improvement, Discovery will be able to safely fly up into space and return.

GOOD