External Tank Scans Continue as Foam Replacement Completed

At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, teams will continue performing scans of stringers accessible from within the environmental enclosure on space shuttle Discovery’s external fuel tank. Technicians completed applying replacement foam on the tank over the weekend.

The Space Shuttle Program will review the analysis and repairs that are required to safely launch shuttle Discovery on its STS-133 mission at a special Program Requirements Control Board session Wednesday. Pending a successful review of the flight rationale at that meeting, a Launch Status Briefing would be held with senior NASA management on Monday, Nov. 29.

Kennedy’s “Call-to-Stations” to begin the launch countdown will be no earlier than Nov. 30, supporting a first launch attempt no earlier than Dec. 3 at about 2:52 a.m. EST.