European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 24, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse                                To Sci in March 24. 19b7 the stars and stripes Pago 3 shuttle test firing Likely before launch Cai e canaveral i. Us l space Agency Nhi Igros Are expected in approve ,1 launch Piil isl firing of i he shuttle discovery s main engines before in is cleared for Hlas off Ink War a Leit thai would delay he crucial night at i him a month Nasa sources say. Dis very tentatively is scheduled to make i he la Rel Tysl of Lii ilk Ngor launch feb. 18, 19 111. He most Nasa managers believe that Ditc will be impassible to to Etc whether i he engines arc test fired or not because of n heavy workload required to implement design changes prompted by inc challenger Accident. Bui until Nasa manage have a Bel Ter idea of when discovery can in fad be launched they feel they must stick will the advertised Date. Chief is Ronam John Young said in a published report last week the proposed launch Date will be impossible to meet it sure Ain l going to happen in february hat s for sure simply because of inc sheer amount of work that must be done to implement required design modifications. While on official decision has not been made sources said approval of a flight readiness  or Fri is expected and in could be the first format sign that Nasa will be unable to make the Large launch Date. In an Fri the shuttle is hauled to the launch pud and its three liquid fuelled main engines fired up for 20 seconds or so to verify performance of the Overall vehicle. Because the engines must be inspected after any firing. Discovery s launch would be delayed four to six weeks by least. We re in favor of an Fri said vet eran shuttle commander Robert Hoot Gibson in a recent interview we think that would be a very prudent thing to do. It s been a Long time since we be fired any engines Fin a Shui Ile and discovery has been Silling around for quite a while an Agency source at the Kennedy space Center said director Forrest Mccartney has ordered engineers to begin planning Tor the lest u a contingency and another source at the Johnson space Center in Houston said preliminary plans for engineering television coverage of the firing Are in the works it s going to happen said a top Engi Neer who asked not to be identified "if1i make everybody feel More  in the past an Fri was conducted before each shuttle s Maiden flight. The test is carried out by Remote control and no astronauts Are on Board. Joseph Lombardo main engine project manager at the Marshall space flight Center in Huntsville ala., said his office has no requirement for an Fri because each engine will be Thor a photo the space shuttle Atlantis is rolled out of the we Lyle Uinn Bly building Friday at Kennedy space Center. Its sister ship the discovery is scheduled to make the Flat Post challenger night. Roughly tested before installation on discovery. But the test would help shuttle Booster engineers verify the performance of Rede signed fuel segment joints As Well As the performance or the Overall shuttle vehicle. During a real launch the main engines Are Firof about six seconds before the boosters ignite. Because the engines Are offset from the shuttle s vertical Axis their thrust bends the vehicle Forward while it remains on the launch pad. The lip of the external fuel Lank for example moves More than 2 feet before rebounding to vertical at which time the boosters Are fired to begin the night. This bending is known As twang and it puts tremendous stress on the lower fuel segment joints in each boost or. Challenger was destroyed by a joint failure. Gibson said Morton Thi Okol inc., builder of the big rockets Al one Point recommended an Fri with Dummy boosters which could be More Exten sively instrumented than actual flight hardware. They wanted to make an Fri mandatory for first flight and they actually warned an Fri on Dummy solid rocket boosters he said. I Don t think any body is going to want to commit to hat. That would be a major schedule Impact. "1 think we would get a Tot of Good data out of an Fri using the. Actual boosters so it s a Good idea for them and we feel in s a Good idea just for the Overall  Gerald Smith manager of the Booster project office at Marshall said in an interview in Huntsville that he believes other tests will More than validate the new joint design. Even soil s my guess Well probably do one we will have Strain gauges on the vehicle so if we a a flight readiness fir ing Well be measuring the response of the vehicle through the twang he said. I suspect we re going to do it As for the launch Date most engineers believe summer 1988 is a More accurate target for discovery s flight and Gibson stressed there is nothing magical about the feb. 8, 1988, target. Our input is we need to launch in right More than we need to launch it  he said. Reagan pushes broader View of abm pact Washington