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From: yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Board appointed to investigate reasons for damaged shuttle thruster (Forwarded)
Message-ID: <54666@ames.arc.nasa.gov>
Date: 24 Jul 90 21:46:01 GMT
Sender: usenet@ames.arc.nasa.gov
Reply-To: yee@trident.arc.nasa.gov (Peter E. Yee)
Organization: NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA
Lines: 47


  Lisa Malone                                       July 24, 1990
  (407) 867-2468


  KSC Release No. 135-90


  BOARD  APPOINTED  TO  INVESTIGATE  REASONS  FOR  DAMAGED  SHUTTLE
  THRUSTER

       Center  Director  Forrest  McCartney has appointed an inves-
  tigation board to examine the circumstances surrounding damage to
  an orbital maneuvering system (OMS) pod thruster  at  the  Hyper-
  golic  Maintenance  Facility's  (HMF)  east  test cell located in
  KSC's Industrial Area.

       On July 18,  1990,  one of the 14 primary thrusters  on  the
  shuttle  Discovery's  right  OMS  pod was being secured in a test
  stand in the HMF checkout  cell  for  inspections  of  a  leaking
  dynatube.  The  thruster,  mounted  in  a piece of ground support
  equipment,  fell from a work  platform  onto  a  lower  platform,
  creating  an  impression on the shroud between the power head and
  nozzle approximately 4 1/2 inches long by 1/4 inch  deep  by  1/2
  inch  wide.  The  weight  of  the thruster and nozzle is about 30
  pounds.   The right pod is being prepared for shipment to the Or-
  biter  Processing  Facility for installation on Discovery for the
  STS-41/Ulysses launch scheduled for October.

       The damaged thruster is being prepared for shipment  to  the
  vendor, Marquardt Co., Van Nuys, Calif. for repairs. In the mean-
  time,  a spare thruster is being prepared for installation on the
  pod.

       Thomas Cain, III, Chief,  Operations Support Branch,  Center
  Support  Operations,  has been named to chair the board.  The two
  other members of the board are Craig Baker, mechanical and fluids
  system engineer,  Mechanical and Structures Section,  STS Payload
  Operations Directorate;  and Mickey Riddle,  NASA Site Manager at
  Launch Pad 39-B.  Ex-officio board  members  are  Patricia  Lynn,
  safety  advisor;  Douglas  Hendriksen,  legal  advisor;  and Lisa
  Malone, public affairs advisor.

       Board functions include investigating the facts  surrounding
  the mishap,  determination of its cause,  assessments of the pos-
  sibility of a recurrence,  and recommendations for corrective ac-
  tion. A final report is due by the end of August.