NASA IDs Cause Of Shuttle Fuel Tank Cracks

By Mark Carreau

HOUSTON — Space shuttle officials have concluded that a combination of weaker-than-expected materials and subtle assembly issues led to the external tank (ET) cracks that have stalled the launches of Discovery and Endeavour on NASA’s last two scheduled shuttle missions.

The two flights will mark the end of International Space Station assembly, though the space agency hopes to win ...

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