Image: In highbay 1 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, technicians begin to carefully sand away the red dye that has been applied to the external tank to help expose cracks or compression dents.

When NASA’s space shuttle Discovery launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla., May 31, it was lifted from the launch pad with the help of a “new” external fuel tank, ET-128, which featured ...

NASA and space shuttle external tank manufacturer Lockheed Martin successfully completed the Design Certification Review (DCR) for the tank that will be used for the shuttle's return to flight mission ...

Ogive shaped nose section of ET-138 at Michoud holds forward liquid oxygen tank on top of aft liquid hydrogen tank and connecting intertank – surrounded by scaffolding. ET-138 will fuel STS 134 flight ...

Even as it prepares Space Shuttle Discovery for its scheduled launch tomorrow, NASA plans continued external tank (ET) testing. In late September the agency will windtunnel test another ET ice frost ...