NASA to test Discovery repairs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., Dec. 17 (UPI) -- NASA says a test at Kennedy Space Center Friday could help clear the way for the planned February launch of space shuttle Discovery's 39th and final mission.

Super-cold fuel will be pumped into the shuttle's 15-story external fuel tank as technicians try to determine what caused cracks in structural braces in its aluminum-lithium hull that led to the cancellation of Discovery's original Nov. 15 launch attempt, Florida Today reported.

Gauges and thermal sensors will monitor the contraction and expansion of the tank, as well as its temperature, as it cools down and then warms up during fueling and subsequent draining.

"We don't expect any results right away," NASA spokesman Allard Beutel said Thursday.

The collected data could help find the cause of four cracks found on brackets on the ribbed midsection of the tank discovered after the aborted November launch attempt.

Friday's procedure also will help test subsequent repairs to the brackets, known as "stringers."

Discovery is scheduled to launch Feb. 3 on a supply run to the International Space Station.