KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — For the second space shuttle flight in a row, NASA has found heat damage on a critical O-ring seal in a rocket booster used by Discovery this month.
It is the same nozzle joint in which the problem occurred on Atlantis, only this time it's in the right booster, NASA said Wednesday.
In both cases, hot gas from burning rocket fuel singed the primary rubber seal in the joint but did not pass beyond the seal. Neither of the shuttles nor crews were in any danger, NASA officials said.
Engineers will evaluate all the data before recommending whether it's safe to fly Endeavour next week.
A leak in a joint in a solid rocket booster caused Challenger to explode shortly after liftoff in 1986. A nozzle failure in this case could cause the shuttle to veer dangerously off course during the first two minutes of flight.