Welding repairs will begin next week on the grounded space shuttle fleet, which could go back into service as early as next month, NASA announced Friday.

(CNN) -- Welding repairs will begin next week on the grounded space shuttle fleet, which could go back into service as early as next month, NASA announced Friday.

Shuttle flights have been suspended since June 21, after technicians found tiny cracks in the fuel liners on shuttle Atlantis.

Additional search turned up cracks on the remaining three shuttles. Eleven cracks were found in all, none longer than one centimeter (0.4 inches).

NASA officials figure that shuttles flew with the cracks in the past, but grounded the fleet over concerns that a tiny piece of debris could cause a catastrophe if it broke from one of the cracks.

What caused the cracks still is not know, NASA officials admit. Nevertheless, Shuttle Manager Ron Dittemore signed off on a weld repair technique that he considered the safest and quickest way to return the shuttles to space.

"I am pleased to report to you that, pending the satisfactory completion of welding repairs, we plan to resume shuttle flights by the end of September," Dittemore said.

The repairs are expected to begin next week, with a seven-day-a-week work schedule planned in order to try to launch Atlantis on September 28.

While the welding process and testing will only take a few days according to NASA, the process of putting the engines back on and preparing the shuttle for takeoff will take another seven weeks.

Before the delays, a research mission on shuttle Columbia was scheduled to take off July 19, carrying the first Israeli astronaut. That mission has carried a high profile and high security because of the conflict in the Middle-East.

However, it will be postponed to at least November 29, NASA said, in order to give priority to two construction flights to the international space station.

If the shuttles remain grounded beyond September, a Russia spacecraft could have to resupply and change the space station crew.

Date: 2023-04-10     hits: 415    Return