-Caveat Lector- Space Shuttles Virtually Grounded By MARCIA DUNN .c The Associated Press CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - Space shuttle flights are off until at least mid-October because of a startling amount of damaged wiring discovered throughout the fleet. An exposed wire caused a short circuit that knocked out two engine computers during the launch of the shuttle Columbia in July. Similar flaws later were uncovered elsewhere on Columbia and in the wiring on Endeavour and Discovery. ``It is a serious situation,'' shuttle program manager Ron Dittemore said Thursday. ``We are not going to fly again until we understand what we have and get it fixed.'' As of late this week, technicians had discovered 38 spots with exposed wiring in Endeavour and 26 in Discovery, and even more places where the wires need to be reinforced with tubes and Teflon wrapping ``to bulletproof it the best we can,'' Dittemore said. A quick check of Atlantis turned up one suspect wire. Endeavour should have gone up in mid-September with radar equipment to map Earth's surface, Discovery in mid-October with crucial replacement parts for the Hubble Space Telescope. The delays are making this the leanest year for shuttle launches since 1988, when flights resumed following the Challenger disaster. With only two more launches scheduled by year's end, there could be just four in 1999. The trouble began July 23, when a short circuit five seconds into Columbia's launch knocked out computers for two of the shuttle's three main engines. Because each engine has two computers and only one is needed, Columbia made it to orbit with five astronauts and the powerful Chandra X-ray Observatory. It was believed to be the first time in 95 shuttle missions that a short circuit occurred during liftoff, by far the most dangerous part of the flight. If an engine had shut down, the shuttle would have had to attempt an unprecedented emergency landing in Florida or in Africa. Because Columbia was still in the atmosphere - and not in the vacuum of space - when the short happened in the cargo bay, sparks could have ignited. But shuttle circuit breakers are much more sensitive than those in a home or even on a plane; they immediately pop when a short occurs, halting the flow of electricity. That's what happened aboard Columbia. The half-second short was caused by an exposed wire that had lost its insulation in one spot, allowing the wire to come in contact with a rough screw. Workers evidently had stepped on the wire or brushed a tool or work platform against it. It's possible the damage was there since Columbia's first flight in 1981; the wiring is original. At first, NASA thought the exposed wire in its oldest shuttle was unique and perhaps the result of age. But technicians found another flawed wire on the opposite side of the cargo bay. As a precaution, NASA ordered inspections of the wiring in its three other shuttles. The inspections will take at least another few weeks. Each shuttle has 200 miles of wiring; half of it is being checked, the half where workers are most likely to have damaged it. NASA has yet to decide which mission will go first once flights resume. ``I've told the folks that I don't want you worrying about launch dates,'' Dittemore said. ``I want your heads down in the foxhole fixing these wires.'' DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
