Analysts expect the assortment of instruments on Discovery’s external tank to produce more than six terabytes of data from today’s tanking test, said Mike Moses, Space Shuttle Program Launch Integration Manager. The information will be used to test hypotheses about what caused two stringers on the tank to crack during fueling operations during last month’s countdown.
"This tanking test will hopefully give us the final piece of data," Moses said.
The test is taking place at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, home of the space shuttle fleet, but the information from the test will be sent to NASA’s Michaud Assembly Facility in Louisiana and Marshall Spaceflight Center in Alabama for detailed analysis. Focused testing on aspects like materials, design and construction will be performed.
At the launch pad, the fueling process is continuing. Slow-fill began at 7:12 a.m. The launch team will follow a launch-day countdown very closely, without putting astronauts inside the shuttle, though. The countdown will hold at T-31 seconds. The tank will be monitored before draining begins.