Fuel Leak Suspected on Space Shuttle
by John Little on 14/07/2006It’s not critical, at least at this stage, but then again it’s not really good either:
There are three auxiliary power units, and the space shuttle cannot land unless one of the three units onboard is working. Right now, there is trouble with two of the three units. Despite the trouble, the units are still working.As the space shuttle is landing, the units provide the power that controls the landing system — the flaps and rudders that actually lets the commander maneuver the space shuttle down onto the runway.
One of the three units on Discovery has what appears to be a fuel leak. The other has a temperature problem — it’s overheating by more than 100 degrees.
NASA engineers are trying to determine if the problems are going to get any worse and if they’ll have to turn them off.
There is a fire risk once the Shuttle encounters some oxygen but NASA has seen this before:
December 8, 1983, 3:47:24 p.m. PST, Runway 17, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Rollout distance: 8,456 feet. Rollout time: 53 seconds. Landing delayed approximately eight hours to analyze problems when general purpose computers one and two failed and inertial measurement unit one failed. During landing, two of three auxiliary power units caught fire. Orbiter returned to KSC Dec. 15, 1983. Landing Weight: 220,027 lbs.
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