Discovery mishap grounds shuttles again Damage to the external
fuel tank of space shuttle Discovery. Nasa has been forced to
suspend its shuttle program indefinitely after it was confirmed
the external fuel tank on Discovery - scheduled to arrive at the
International Space Station last night - had shed insulation
foam. The foam problem is one NASA has just spent more than two
years trying to fix. In 2003, a briefcase-sized chuck of foam
weighing less than a kilogram broke off during launch and
punched a hole in the wing of Columbia. When Columbia re-entered
the atmosphere, superheated air melted the wing and destroyed
the craft, killing all seven astronauts on board. Insulation
foam is needed to keep the fuel in the bright orange tank at the
required temperature. However, NASA said there was no indication
the foam, shed well after the launch, had struck Discovery.
Because the shuttle was at high altitude, there was not enough
air to sweep the foam back fast enough to hit Discovery, which
rides on the back of