Related: Discovery passes critical technical review for July launch

               Discovery rolled to launch pad

    WASHINGTON, May 31 (Xinhua) -- NASA on Wednesday said the risk from insulation foam falling off the shuttle's external fuel tank is acceptable after a two-day review of the improvements made to prevent foam loss that doomed Columbia in 2003.

    About 100 engineers and managers met at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, to assess the risk.

    A trunk-size falling foam hit Columbia's wing, leading to its disintegration during re-entry into the earth's atmosphere in February, 2003.

    Despite re-design of the tank, foam in large size came off the tank again during Discovery's launch last July, which was the first shuttle flight since the Columbia disaster.

    "We have found no show stoppers," shuttle program manager Wayne Hale told a news conference Wednesday. "We believe we have made significant improvements since last year in the elimination of many of the hazards from foam."

    In the biggest aerodynamic change ever made to the shuttle's launch system, NASA removed 37 pounds of foam used to protect cables and pressurization lines located on the outside of the tank.

    Hale said foam in small sizes will still fall off the tank during shuttle's liftoff and that NASA is working on further modifications of the tank to eliminate the most hazardous areas.

    Discovery is now on the launch pad for a liftoff between July 1and July 19, on a second mission after the Columbia disaster.

    NASA will hold two more review meetings before making the final decision on Discovery's launch. One is scheduled for next week to review the fuel tank's design changes, and the other, on the flight readiness, will be held in two weeks. Enditem