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August 20, 2008 5:26:41 PM CDT

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Discovery's New Fuel Tank Passes With Flying Colors

Posted Jun 2, 08 3:33 AM CDT in Technology,  Science & Health 

(Newser) – The Discovery shuttle launch Saturday marked the first use of a new fuel tank designed after flaws led to the 2003 Columbia disaster, Space.com reports, and tests yesterday showed the new design to be successful. The external tank, designed to minimize the release of falling debris  during launch, shed a few pieces of foam, but "performed in a magnificent fashion," said a NASA mission manager.

Source Space.com

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Discovery lifts off at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.   (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
Discovery lifts off at the Kennedy Space Center on Saturday.   (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
Beachgoers watch the launch of Discovery from Jetty Park in Cape Canaveral.   (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
The Discovery space shuttle blasts off at the Kennedy Space Center.   (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
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NASA  • International Space Station  • space shuttle  • space exploration  • Discovery space shuttle  • aerospace  • Columbia Space Shuttle


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