Sep 22 1981
From The Space Library
LaRC said that it was advancing aviation technology that could "revolutionize commuter flying in the 1990s" by making 20- to 60-passenger turboprops sturdier, faster, and able to travel farther than current commuter aircraft. Rising interest in such aircraft stemmed from high oil prices and airline deregulation, creating "greater demand than supply" for small planes that had to be more cost-effective than large ones because of their smaller capacity and short-haul operations.
LaRC and NASA's other lead centers for aeronautics (ARC, DFRC, and LeRC) were developing advanced aerodynamics, propulsion, materials, and control and guidance systems to provide technological data considered too high-risk or beyond the resources of industry to produce (LaRC Release 81-69; NASA Release 81-131)
September 22-25: Accidental spillage of a caustic oxidizer being pumped into the shuttle damaged the spacecraft surface, unglued nearly 300 of its thermal tiles and forced postponement of the October 9 launch date. Between two and three gallons of nitrogen tetroxide spurted from a malfunctioning connector about 1:15 a.m. and dissolved the bonding agent that fastened the tiles to Columbia's skin. [See December 14] No one was on the launch pad except the specially clothed technicians, and no injuries were reported. About 67 tiles came loose in the hands of technicians mopping up the spill; launch director George Page said the tiles themselves were not damaged, but the vehicle skin would have to be decontaminated and dried, and each tile would have be waterproofed and retested.
NASA warned that the shuttle might have to be moved back into the VAB, separated from its external tank, and moved again into the orbiter-processing facility to see if any propellant had leaked inside. The Washington Post said September 24 that inspection of the orbiter's nose showed contamination of the reactor-control system containing thrusters to govern pitch and roll of the vehicle during atmospheric reentry. The oxidizer, when it encountered water, turned into nitric acid, highly corrosive to copper wire and other materials. Moving the ship back to its hangar for repair would delay launch "in excess of a month," Page said.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
