Shuttle Hydrogen Fuel Supplier Told to Halt Deliveries
NEW ORLEANS — A company that produces the explosive liquid hydrogen that helps propel the space shuttle into orbit has been told to halt its normal shipments to Cape Canaveral, Fla., the plant manager said Thursday.
Air Products & Chemicals Inc. produces the hydrogen carried along with liquid oxygen in the shuttle’s giant external fuel tank, powering the craft’s three main engines.
Plant manager Bill Allen said his firm normally refills the hydrogen storage tanks at Cape Canaveral immediately after a shuttle launch from nearby Kennedy Space Center, a process that takes two or three weeks. About 40 to 50 truckloads are needed to fill the storage tanks.
Ten trucks loaded with hydrogen already were at the launch site when the shuttle Challenger began its ill-fated trip Tuesday, Allen said, and those loads will be transferred to the storage tanks.
But Allen said NASA officials have told him not to send any more fuel now. No specific reason for the decision was disclosed.
No layoffs or work slowdowns were expected at the plant that employs about 200 people in eastern New Orleans.
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