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Aalice.117 net.columbia utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!ihnss!mhtsa!research!alice!sjb Thu Sep 24 20:05:38 1981 fuel spill Only minor damage in the steering pod of the shuttle was reported by a technician who entered it. Among the damage were 14 thermal blankets soaked with nitrogen tetroxide, peeled paint, discolored wire bundles, and a discolored heater. There is new hope that the damage can be repaired on the pad, resulting in a delay of at least two weeks, as opposed to several months if the shuttle must be removed from the pad, taken to the Vehicle Assembly Building, disassembled, and taken to its hangar. A new launch date is expected to be announced next week, after a decision on whether to repair the shuttle on pad 39A is made tomorrow.

At present count, 329 tiles have been removed and workers have begun to wipe down the exposed skin in preparation for reinstalling them.

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