Space Shuttle Discovery’s final launch is back on ice as NASA engineers scramble to repair cracks in its fuel tank. The final mission of the spacecraft has already been delayed for other concerns and now appears to be postponed for months while awaiting repairs.
In an effort to verify the structural integrity of Discovery, NASA scanned its fuel tanks with x-rays and found out that serious problems exist in the fuel system, primarily in its fuel tank.
According to reports published by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), repairs to the fuel tanks could take just a few days, leaving in place a projected February launch date. However, if repairs involve more technology and manpower than is presently allocated to the project, the launch date could be rolled back even further.
The aging space shuttle fleet has already operated beyond its predicted useful life and has just two missions left including Discovery before it is permanently mothballed.
The future of space
With the fleet of space shuttles no longer available for space missions, the United States had been counting on a new generation of spacecraft to come online early this decade that would supply the space station and support new missions to Mars and to the moon, according to Fox News.
When Obama canceled NASA’s present and future space missions, he said that his regime will rely on non-existent commercial space transport companies to transport supplies to the space station and perform other missions formerly performed by the space shuttles.
As the nation waits for commercial transports to become available, the Obama regime intends to outsource space launches to foreign governments like Russia, India, and the European Union.
A perplexing NASA
Even as it works on plans for so-called “heavy lift” rockets intended to power nascent interplanetary programs, the Obama regime has realigned NASA as a tool to reach out to Muslims around the world. Rather than reaching for the stars, the priority at NASA is now improving relations with a global demographic group that includes millions of people solemnly committed to the destruction of the United States of America.
Abundance of Caution
Even as the American space presence winds down, officials are abundantly cautious, especially when it comes to issues pertaining to shuttle fuel tanks. When the Space Shuttle Columbia exploded upon its re-entry, fuel tank issues were to blame. NASA most likely desires to avoid any catastrophes that will mar the ending of tis relevance in space.
