Space shuttle delay gives more preparation time to Crew

Space Shuttle is delayed. This is no news. However, the crew members are making good use of the extra time they have now. The launch is now expected to take place in July and the crew is using the new technologies developed at NASA for fixing any possible damage to the shuttle external structure during the launch process. This means that they might have more work to do than the planned itinerary in the space.

NASA’s preparation for possible damage control contains using two newly developed tools: an applicator that daubs repair material onto tiles and a caulk gun for the wings’ reinforced carbon-carbon heat-shielding panels. These could be well supported by two other techniques for repairs: screw-on overlays and a bolt-on “plug” for gaps in the RCC panels.

However, both the NASA and the space crew would be hoping that none of these are used during the course of their mission. The Space Shuttle would be in space for a period of 12 days during which it would be delivering supplies to the International Space Station and test out the methods to control and fix damage to the shuttle itself during the course of the mission. This was necessitated after the Columbia incident, which led to deaths of the entire crew of the mission while coming back to earth.

Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi said in a statement to the press: “We’re going to use these two months wisely to have some extra underwater training, plus we might have some time to look at the other possible repair techniques like the overlay”. He would be putting in extra time for extravehicular activity.