Space shuttle engineers met today to discuss options for a fuel line, which had been leaking, for shuttle Discovery’s orbital maneuvering system engines. Technicians at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida will begin pumping out propellants already inside the tanks and will replace the primary and secondary seals at a flange located at the interface where two propellant lines meet in the shuttle’s aft compartment.
The leak stopped last night when technicians tested six bolts around the suspect flange. Replacing the seals allows NASA managers to have the highest confidence in the system and will allow the seals and flange to be inspected. Preparations to drain the tanks and crossfeed line will begin tonight. Work to replace the seals and reload propellants into the orbital maneuvering and reaction control systems should be completed on Oct. 25 and still is expected to support Discovery’s targeted Nov. 1 launch date.