Discovery shuttle is gearing up for another space adventure on July 1, the second test flight since the 2003 Columbia accident, despite a few engineers asking NASA to wait till safety concerns are met.
Commanded by astronaut Steven Lindsey, Discovery's crew is slated to rocket spaceward on a 13-day mission to test shuttle flight safety techniques and deliver vital supplies to the crew of the International Space Station.
Announcing the decision of the flight, shuttle programme manager Wayne Hale said if they waited to eliminate all risks, they would never fly.
"Section of foam on the tank most prone to causing damage to the shuttle has been removed... we have made the largest aerodynamic change to this vehicle that has been made since we started flying 25 years ago," he said.
The engineers, who are concerned about tiny defects in some of its electronic boxes, want more changes to be made to the vehicle's fuel tank. However, astronauts said they are willing to accept the higher risk and fly, in spite of known problems that could be fatal.
The space flight has a launch window that runs through July 19. "You could potentially cause critical damage," Lindsey said. "It's one of the top program risks."
Hale said NASA officials opted to fly the tank without redesigning the ramps because a tank renovation should be tested on its own during a flight before other changes are made.
The seven astronauts flying on the space shuttle are not the only crewmembers who will accept a higher risk. It will take NASA four to six more flights to find a safer fuel tank design, officials said.
NASA has also announced that the astronauts will inspect their vehicle late in the upcoming mission to make sure it is safe enough to return to Earth.
The inspection will be done while the shuttle is at the International Space Station, using a laser imager attached to a robotic arm.
The inspection, on day 10 of the flight, will be in addition to a six-hour survey of the shuttle on day 2. That inspection will look for damage incurred on launch from ice, foam or even birds.
Day 4 is reserved for a focused inspection of any areas that look suspicious.
NASA said it hopes to add an extra day in space for a third space walk. Discovery will be launched between July 1 and July 19.
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