Sensors on Shuttles Will Detect Blows

Taking a lesson from the Columbia disaster this year, NASA plans to embed high-tech sensors in the wings of the three remaining space shuttles to detect any blows from debris, an oversight panel said Thursday.

The sensors would determine whether the leading edges of the wings were hit, but not the degree of damage, said Joseph Cuzzupoli, a Kistler Aerospace vice president and member of the return-to-flight task force.

The extent of damage would be determined by an inspection by astronauts in orbit, using an extension boom equipped with cameras and lasers.

“It’s just a tool that helps us to know ... that something hit it,” said Cuzzupoli, who worked on both the Apollo and shuttle programs for the former Rockwell International.

Inspecting the exterior of an orbiting shuttle would be difficult, Cuzzupoli said, and knowing where debris struck would save time and reduce the risk of a mishap, such as banging the boom against the spacecraft and causing even more damage.

The sensors have never been used on a shuttle. The sensors would be linked to an on-board computer and detect blows from debris during the entire space mission, Cuzzupoli said. Any information they collect would be relayed to flight controllers.

NASA’s latest target for resuming shuttle flights is September or October. NASA assembled the task force to help the space agency meet the Columbia investigators’ recommendations for returning to flight.