Jul 14 1996
From The Space Library
NASA announced the six-week delay of astronaut Shannon W. Lucid's return from her outpost aboard the Mir space station. NASA made the schedule change because of concerns about the reliability of the joint sealant used on the Shuttle's reusable rocket boosters during the June launch of Columbia. NASA planned to replace the booster before launching Atlantis, scheduled to retrieve Lucid. The reusable rocket boosters, packed with fuel, launch the Shuttle. After pushing the Shuttle into space, the boosters fall off and descend, attached to parachutes, into the ocean. Upon retrieving the rocket boosters, engineers disassemble them into smaller pieces, repack them with fuel, and rebuild them for a new Shuttle launch, sealing each of the rocket's three field joints with an O-ring. NASA sought to fortify these joints further, and the adhesive used to secure them, before launching another Shuttle mission. Space Shuttle Program Manager Thomas W. Holloway stated that NASA remained confident in the overall design of the rocket booster and in the joint, but wanted to take no avoidable risks.
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