Mar 1 1983
From The Space Library
NASA technicians at Cape Canaveral removed two of Challenger's main engines for repairs; a third engine, on its way from Mississippi, would undergo similar maintenance. Lt. Gen. James A. Abrahamson, associate administrator for Space Transportation Systems, told a House subcommittee on science and technology that discovery of the flaws while the Shuttle was still on the ground showed the agency's conservative approach to safety. He blamed tight budgets in the past for a lack of spare parts. Delay from the original January 20 launch date had already cost NASA about $1.5 million; costs would increase later when crews would have to work overtime to meet pro-gram commitments.
Challenger's #1 engine was removed February 4 when a crack in a coolant line allowed inflammable gas to leak into the aft compartment. Then, the replacement engine was found to have an oxygen leak in its heat exchanger, a system to pressurize the external fuel tank. An inspection of the #3 engine revealed the same flaw.
As Challenger's engines were intended to handle heavier payloads than Columbia's, a design change had added a metal sleeve over the fuel-supply tubes to absorb greater vibrations. Soldering apparently overheated and embrittled the underlying metal tubing. Welding new tubing would make the configuration like the old Columbia engines, and Challenger would not be able to run at full thrust. (NASA Dly Aciv Rpt, Mar 2/83; NY Times, Mar 2/83, A-1; W Post, Mar 2/83, A-5)
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