Word: prevention
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...WHAT IS GAP FILLER AND WHY IS IT A PROBLEM? The underside of the shuttle flexes during the stress and heating of reentry. To prevent the rigid tiles from grinding or chipping, heat resistant cloth is fitted between them. Ordinarily, the filler is flush with the ship, all but invisible to the eye. But on Discovery, two pieces are protruding near the nose-one 1.1 inch, the other .06 inch, and need to be snipped away...
...During reentry, the shuttle must slip smoothly through the atmosphere to prevent heat from concentrating in particular spots or turbulence from causing instability. At the fantastic velocities the shuttle achieves-22 times the speed of sound through the upper atmosphere-even such tiny irregularities as the gap filler can lead to both problems...
...ship-a place where spacewalking astronauts have never ventured. His first attempted fix will be a decidedly low-tech one: He?ll try to pluck the fabric free. If that doesn?t work, he?ll use a blade-a portion of which has been taped over to prevent it from nicking the ship. If that fails, he?ll try a small...
...larger question may not be the fate of Discovery but that of the whole fleet. After 2 ½ years and $1 billion spent on safety upgrades designed to prevent just such a setback, how could things go so wrong again? Can a program that has already claimed the lives of 14 astronauts ever be safe? And what does any of that say about the Bush Administration's dream of sending crews to the moon and Mars...
Will it help prevent another blackout...