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 CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - NASA fueled a space shuttle for the first time in more than two years Thursday, and Discovery's redesigned external tank aced the crucial prelaunch test.
The 154-foot, rust-colored tank underwent major modifications after the Columbia disaster, which was caused by a chunk of insulating foam that fell off the tank during liftoff and gashed the shuttle's wing.
"From our standpoint, we'd say we got an `A,' " said Neil Otte, chief engineer of the external tank project. "It performed exactly as we expected it to perform."
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