Discovery Prepared For Dec. 15 Tanking Test
![](http://www.aviationweek.com/media/images/space_images/NASA/Shuttle/Discoveronpad-NASA.jpg)
HOUSTON — NASA is targeting Dec. 15 for a launch pad tanking test of the shuttle Discovery, as part of a long-running effort to determine the cause of small cracks in the stringer region of the external tank.
Four cracks were found in adjacent 21-ft.-long aluminum lithium stringers following a Nov. 5 launch abort due to an unrelated hydrogen leak. The successful Dec. 8 launch of ...![](http://images.aviationnewsrelease.com/Home/aviation_news_release_4a.jpg)