NASA: Discovering the cause of cracks in the shuttle

On August 26, the US Aerospace Agency (NASA) announced the discovery of the cause of the small crack on the insulation of the shuttle Endeavor's fuel tank.

In a statement, NASA said the insulating foam layer in the belt kept the oxygen tank falling during launch, which could harm the insulation of Endeavor. The old insulation foam layer has been removed and covered with new foam. It is expected that this repair will take about 9 days and will not affect the plan to launch Discovery on ISS October 23.

However, last week, NASA said the repair of foam layers on belts holding fuel tanks could delay the shuttle launch plan on December 5.

NASA experts say upcoming belts to keep new fuel tanks will be made from titanium, a metal that needs less foam insulation.

Endeavor space shuttle location (Photo: LD)