Shuttle Flew 25 Years With Fatal Defect

SHUTTLE NEWS

Shuttle Launched With Fatal Defect For 25 Years

Discovery rolls out

Washington (UPI) Mar 23, 2004
A NASA official says some of the U.S. space shuttles flew for 25 years with flaws in the rudders of the tail section, the New York Times reported Tuesday.

Shuttle Program Manager William Parsons said some gears in the two-part rudder, which also acts as a speed brake, were apparently installed improperly in at least one shuttle when they were built in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The shuttle Discovery flew 28 missions with a flawed speed brake actuator, but experienced no failure, he said.

"Loss of the rudder speed brake would mean loss of the vehicle, loss of the crew," he said.

The rudder speed brake is used to guide and slow the shuttle during its high-speed re-entry and landing.

Parsons said the speed brake actuators on the other remaining shuttles, the Atlantis and the Endeavour, would be removed, inspected and replaced because of suspected problems, including unexpected corrosion found on some of the parts.

All rights reserved. Copyright 2004 by United Press International. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by United Press International. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of by United Press International. Related Links
SpaceDaily
Search SpaceDaily
Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express

OPINION SPACE

Is The Shuttle Grounded Forever

Honolulu - Feb 19, 2004
Yes, believe it or not, it's now 19 February 2004! Hard to believe this famous date came around so soon. I wonder if NASA is having any official event to commemorate this day? More likely everyone will just leave work early and get dead drunk writes Jeffrey F. Bell.

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2016 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement All images and articles appearing on Space Media Network have been edited or digitally altered in some way. Any requests to remove copyright material will be acted upon in a timely and appropriate manner. Any attempt to extort money from Space Media Network will be ignored and reported to Australian Law Enforcement Agencies as a potential case of financial fraud involving the use of a telephonic carriage device or postal service.