Cape Canaveral, Fla. – NASA gave the green light Monday night for a Fourth of July shuttle liftoff despite worries about a piece of foam that popped off Discovery’s external fuel tank while the spacecraft sat on the launchpad.
The decision to lift off at 12:38 p.m. Mountain time today was sure to stir more debate about whether the space agency was putting its flight schedule ahead of safety.
The 3-inch triangular piece of foam that appeared to come from a 5-inch-long crack late Sunday or early Monday is far smaller than the foam chunk that brought down Columbia, killing seven astronauts in 2003. But National Aeronautics and Space Administration managers spent most of Monday pondering whether to go ahead with the launch.
Some outside experts said they were uncomfortable with going ahead, although they didn’t have all the information.
The foam fell off an area that covers an expandable bracket holding a liquid-oxygen fuel line against the huge external tank. Engineers believe ice built up there from condensation caused by rain Sunday.
