New Shuttle Issues

Destination Space, Channel 13

“More trouble in NASA’s return to flight plans as space shuttle Discovery is again damaged in an accident at the Kennedy Space Center. The space agency says workers were repositioning a lamp near the nose of the shuttle’s external fuel tank when it fell, causing it to ding the foam insulation.”

Space shuttle engineers assess new wiring issue, SpaceflightNow

“Initial wind tunnel tests indicate recent modifications to the foam insulation on the shuttle’s external tank may not be as easily analyzed as initially hoped, sources say. While additional testing may resolve the matter, showing the removal of wind deflectors called PAL ramps from the tank will not compromise safety, other ongoing technical issues, including a new concern about possible circuit board wiring problems, threaten the July 1 target date for the next shuttle mission.”