Aero-News Quote Of The Day (12.18.05)

[right_Rudder]

"The best thing to do is to just take it off." Source: NASA's Director of Space Operations William H. Gerstenmaier, on the agency's plan to remove the protuberance airload ramp (PAL) from the external fuel tank on future space shuttle flights. The PAL ramp was identified by NASA engineers in October as one of the five areas that lost foam during the launch of Discover this summer. The final decision on its removal was delayed, however, until scientists could prove the components protected by the ramp could withstand aerodynamic forces without it.

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