http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/1....ap/index.html

"What probably happened is that during modifications to the tank at
Michoud, technicians inadvertently damaged the section that ended up
coming off, while working on nearby areas, Wayne Hale said. "This
foam, which normally is not touched after it's applied, clearly was
touched," he said.

Workers using plastic knives to remove nearby foam may have made small
cuts in the section that tore away, allowing air to condense in the
crevices against the tank, full of super-cold fuel, Hale said. Another
possibility, he said, is that workers leaned against the piece of foam
that broke off, and fractured it. Yet another theory is that the foam
cracked because of normal thermal stresses.

A spokesman for Lockheed Martin Corp., which builds the tanks at
Michoud, said inadvertent worker damage is one of the potential causes
being investigated. "We're committed to supporting NASA and the space
shuttle program," spokesman Harry Wadsworth said."

...Of course, this means that new rules will be passed prohibiting NASA
workers from carving their initials into the tank foam before launch
:-)

OM

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