Utah group to witness shuttle launch in Florida

Dozens of Utahns have arrived at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., to witness the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery set for Wednesday.

Some of these ATK Thiokol employees are to examine, by TV link, an in-orbit test of a wing patch designed by the company, which also built the boosters that will loft the shuttle. Others are on a company trip as reward for hard work on the motors.

NASA is billing the launch of STS-114 as the "Shuttle Return to Space." The wait for the return has been a long one.

The last excursion, in 2003, ended in disaster. A piece of insulation foam fell from the liquid rocket propellant tank and ripped an opening in Space Shuttle Columbia's left wing. When the vehicle glided toward a landing strip on Feb. 1, 2003, atmospheric friction ate away at the hole, searing hot air streamed into the wing, and the shuttle exploded. All seven aboard were killed.

Since then NASA and many contractors have worked to redesign or to confirm the safety of myriad features.

Thiokol, which constructs the enormous solid rocket boosters at its Promontory facility near Brigham City, tested and confirmed the motors. It did not need to do any redesigning. But one of the innovations to be carried by Discovery is a plug Thiokol experts designed, a safety patch to be used in case of another wing hole.

On future flights, once a shuttle is in orbit, astronauts will operate a camera on a boom to inspect the wings. If damage is discovered, they can don spacesuits and venture outside to fix it with the plug.

This device is a large, flat disk. Made of heat-resistant reinforced material, it will lock onto the wing, held in place by the extendable arms of a molybdenum alloy bolt that goes through the middle. A set of patches, sculpted to fit different wing curvatures, are to be carried in a repair kit.

During Discovery's flight, the repair kit will be tried out inside the shuttle, with astronauts testing to see whether they can operate the equipment in zero gravity.

Dean Lester, an ATK Thiokol scientist who works at the Promontory plant and who was instrumental in inventing the patch, is in Florida for the takeoff.

"Shortly after the launch I'll be flying back to Houston to look at the IVA demonstration of the plug," he said. IVA is NASA-speak for intravehicular activity, something that happens inside the vehicle, as compared with EVA, extravehicular activity, which occurs in the vacuum of space.

"The plug will be demonstrated by some astronauts" in the crew cabin, he added.