December 12th, 2003del.icio.us Digg Reddit StumbleUpon
Shuttle's Wings Will Detect When They're Damaged
Written by Fraser Cain
NASA is planning to embed special sensors into the wings of the space shuttle fleet that will detect when they've been damaged - it was a foam strike like this that led to the destruction of Columbia nearly a year ago. A member of the safety oversight panel said that the sensors would be able to detect a hit, but not the extent of the damage, so astronauts would still need to spacewalk outside the shuttle to inspect it. Installing these sensors isn't a requirement for the shuttle's return to flight, but NASA believes it can have the work done by September 2004 - when the first shuttle is expected to lift off again.
Filed under: Space Shuttle
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