NASA Shuttle Image: The crack in the liquid Oxygen tank

(Image: NASA)

This terahertz image shows the 50cm crack in the foam insulation of the space shuttle's fuel tank, at the joint where the liquid oxygen tank meets the inter-tank flange.

The crack appeared on Friday as the tank was being drained of liquid hydrogen after a fuel leak prevented the shuttle from launching.

A missing chunk of foam insulation was responsible for the breakup of the shuttle Colombia as it re-entered the earth's atmosphere in 2003, causing the deaths of 7 astronauts.

If the fuel leak and the foam crack can be fixed, Discovery's final mission, STS-133, will launch on November 30th. The shuttle will bring supplies and extra storage capacity to the International Space Station.

Repair analysis continues on launch pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. See a Gigapan image of the shuttle awaiting launch here.