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The longest journey for the Space Shuttle's External Tank isn't its 69-mile climb during the Shuttle's eight-and-a-half-minute liftoff and ascent into space. Just what is? Here's a hint: Take your seasick pills! The External Tank's longest journey is an approximate 900-mile trip by covered barge from NASA’s Michoud Space Systems Assembly Facility near New Orleans, around the tip of Florida, to NASA's Kennedy Space Center, about half-way up Florida's Atlantic coastline. It does, in fact, spend more time on the water than in the air. The External Tank that will help launch Space Shuttle Discovery on its next mission, which is targeted for late spring 2005, left New Orleans Dec. 31 for its four-to-five day, coast-hugging trek from the Mississippi River-Gulf of Mexico Outlet to Florida's Banana River, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean. Shipping the tank known as ET- 120 is an important milestone for the NASA team that has spent 23 months working on modifications that will make the tank safer during liftoff. The gigantic, rust-colored External Tank is the largest element of the Space Shuttle system, which also includes the Orbiter, Space Shuttle Main Engines, and Solid Rocket Boosters. It measures 154 feet tall and 27.6 feet wide -- as long as half a football field and as wide as four sport utility vehicles parked side-by-side. The tank is the only Shuttle component that cannot be reused. The External Tank move follows other recent Return to Flight milestones, like the stacking of Solid Rocket Boosters and installation of Discovery's main engines. The Return to Flight mission, designated STS-114, is targeted for a launch opportunity beginning in May 2005. The seven-member Discovery crew will fly to the International Space Station primarily to test and evaluate new procedures for flight safety, including Space Shuttle inspection and repair techniques. Related Links Forward Bipod Fitting (616 Kb PDF) Thermal Protection System (347 Kb PDF) Intertank Flange Area (280 Kb PDF) PAL Ramps (106 Kb PDF) SpaceDaily Search SpaceDaily Subscribe To SpaceDaily Express 
Space Shuttle Milestone: NASA Installs Main Engines On Discovery
Washington DC (SPX) Dec 13, 2004NASA completed installation last week of the three main engines that will help launch Space Shuttle Discovery on its Return to Flight mission. Installation was completed Dec. 8 at the Orbiter Processing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Fla. |
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