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Ice On Shuttle's Fuel Line Can't Ground Discovery

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By KURT LOFT, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 24, 2007

CAPE CANAVERAL - Among the sweetest words in the NASA lexicon are 'negative return,' and they were met with applause as the shuttle Discovery roared into orbit with seven astronauts aboard.

The technical jargon means the crew is safely on its way, and the shuttle too far away to return to Kennedy Space Center in the event of an emergency. After a picture-perfect countdown, Discovery blasted off at 11:38 a.m., despite the threat of weather and a nagging piece of ice on a fuel line.

Belching 7 million pounds of thrust and letting loose a near-deafening roar, the shuttle ripped through the blue Florida sky above the Atlantic and within minutes placed its astronauts in orbit. The crew immediately went to work on a 14-day mission to continue construction of the International Space Station.

One of the thousands of spectators who came to watch the launch was Gov. Charlie Crist, who stood in awe as the shuttle blasted skyward.

'It's amazing, inspiring and it happens right here in Florida,' he said. 'Our Florida.'

The biggest concern Tuesday morning was the buildup of ice on the fuel line on the giant external tank. Technicians made an inspection on the pad, and decided it would pose no threat to the shuttle if it broke free during liftoff.

Falling ice and tank foam has plagued the shuttle program for years. A piece of debris struck the wing of Columbia after its liftoff in 2003, leading to the vehicle's destruction on re-entry.

Discovery is making the 23rd visit by a shuttle crew to the orbiting station. The mission goal is to deliver a pressurized module called Harmony. The 15-ton connector will expand the working space on the orbiting platform and allow more modules to be connected on future missions. In December, another shuttle crew is scheduled to deliver the European Columbus module.

Onboard Discovery are commander Pamela Melroy; pilot George D. Zamka; and mission specialists Stephanie D. Wilson, Scott E. Parazynski, Douglas H. Wheelock, and Paolo A. Nespoli, a European Space Agency astronaut from Italy. Discovery also is ferrying flight engineer Daniel Tani to the station and will bring home astronaut Clayton Anderson.

Reporter Kurt Loft can be reached at (813) 259-7570 or kloft@tampatrib.com.

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