Technicians at NASA Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Pad 39A will begin work this morning to inspect and replace the 7-inch quick disconnect seal at space shuttle Discovery’s ground umbilical carrier plate, or GUCP, to ensure its connection to the vent line, which carries hydrogen gas away from the pad.
Following a recently reviewed analysis of the vent line weight distribution (loads), engineers decided to replace the seal with the same enhanced process used prior to the successful tanking test in December 2010.
Once the seal has been replaced and the GUCP reconnected, technicians will perform additional leak checks on the system. Work is not expected to delay Discovery’s targeted launch on Feb. 24.
At NASA’s Johnson Space Center, STS-133 Mission Specialists Steve Bowen and Alvin Drew are in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory today rehearsing procedures for the mission’s second spacewalk.