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Space shuttles safer after modification
CHIEF SCIENTIST at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glean Research Centre Dr M Singh said that several technological modifications have now been made in the space shuttles, which would minimise the risk of the shuttle catching fire both while landing and taking off and enhance the safety of the astronauts.
VSR Murthy Memorial Symposium at IIT-K
CHIEF SCIENTIST at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Glean Research Centre Dr M Singh said that several technological modifications have now been made in the space shuttles, which would minimise the risk of the shuttle catching fire both while landing and taking off and enhance the safety of the astronauts.
Dr Singh was delivering his lecture at the VSR Murthy Memorial Symposium at the Indian Institute of Technology here on Friday. Later Singh told newsmen that after the Columbia Space Shuttle disaster in the 2002, NASA had intensified the development of shuttle safety programmes and scientists continuously worked for about three years eliminating the least possibilities of shuttle disaster both in space and on earth.
He said now three major changes in the space shuttle modules have been introduced to make them safe. All the shuttles would now have three new features: a camera, bottom fuel tank and top capsule for an astronaut.
Elaborating on the importance of fitting sophisticated cameras both on the outer and inner body of the shuttle as well as the launching stations, he said, “These cameras would help to detect any fault occurring in the space shuttle at anytime that would facilitate the engineers to repair it even in the space.”
Arrangements have also been made to provide systems for repairing of any hole up to four inches in diameter in the body of the shuttle by the astronauts from inside the shuttle itself.
Dr Singh who undertook repairing of the Columbia in the space said that the tragedy could not be averted as a big chunk of 16 by 16 inches was damaged at the fuel tank and hit the ‘leading edge’ of the shuttle. “It could not be repaired as it could not be detected at the right moment,” he said. The second technological improvement has been in the fuel tank. Now the fuel tank would be made at the bottom of the shuttle instead of its side. This would provide protection against the fire due to fuel leakage.
Besides, the ‘cabin capsule’ for the astronauts would now be at the top of the shuttle so that their lives could be saved in case of an emergency. So far it used to be in the middle of the shuttle he added.
Finally superior and most advanced high temperature resistant materials that have been recently developed at NASA are now being used for the building of the shuttle structure. The new space shuttle is under trial and could be launched soon, Singh concluded.
