[net.columbia] STS-9 Could Be Delayed

alb@alice.UUCP (10/09/83)

Unexpectedly high damage to one of the SRB's on STS-8 could
force the postponement of STS-9 until next year.  On the
ascent of Challenger in late August, the exhaust from the
booster eat through the booster's protective lining to within
.2 inches of the nozzle itself.  If it has broken through
the nozzle, the shuttle would have gone out of control.
The boosters, which are being reused from previous flights,
are refurbished by Morton-Thikol, Inc., which reported the
damage to NASA late last month.  Agency officials decided
to go ahead with the rollout of Columbia to the pad and
carry on simultaneous investigations of the problem.  If
the launch is delayed more than a few days, it would have
to be postponed until February, 1984, due to seasonal requirements
for some of Spacelab's experiments.  Getting a new set of
boosters would take several weeks.