January 2003
10 January 2003: STS-107 Safety Issue Being Worked
Internal NASA memo: “MP01/Alex McCool: The Shuttle Program is currently working one major safety
issue (cracked Orbiter ball strut) associated with the upcoming STS-107 Flight Readiness Review
this Thursday (1/9/03) and the subsequent launch on 1/16/03. MSFC employees put in long hours over the holiday break and worked in the spirit of One NASA with employees at other NASA Centers to test the Orbiter hardware and saw no potential issues as of this morning that would prohibit launch. The Shuttle Program team will reconvene this afternoon to assess the status of this issue.”
January 2003: Space Shuttle Processing Status 9 Jan 2003
“No inspections are planned on Columbia related to the BSTRA ball crack evaluation.”