Cracks Found in Protective Layer of 3rd Shuttle’s Wings

NASA discovered cracks Thursday in the protective thermal layer of the wings of Discovery, the third space shuttle to be hit by the perplexing problem.

Of the five thermal seals removed for inspection, one was cracked, said National Aeronautics and Space Administration spokeswoman Lisa Malone. More of the 44 seals--22 per wing--were to be inspected on NASA’s most traveled spaceship.

The problem was first noticed last week on Atlantis, scheduled to fly in space in November. Eight cracked seals were discovered on Atlantis’ wings.

Nine cracked seals were uncovered this week on the wings of Columbia, which is undergoing modifications at Rockwell International’s shuttle assembly plant in Palmdale.

The reinforced carbon seals are along the edges of the shuttle wings and protect the orbiter from the intense heat of atmospheric re-entry.

Engineers still do not how or when the cracks occurred. It appears as though the seals were damaged on the ground and not during flight, Malone said.

Technicians were expected to finish replacing the damaged seals on Atlantis with spares today. It is uncertain whether the work will delay Atlantis’ upcoming military mission.