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If you thought NASA had problems clearing out birds roosting in the VAB
...<br><br>
<blockquote type=cite class=cite cite=""><font size=2>NASA is trying to
rid the Kennedy Space Center of vultures after the shuttle struck one of
the large birds during lift-off last year on the first flight after the
Columbia disaster. The space center has set up what it calls a "road
kill posse" to quickly clear as many carcasses as possible from the
6,000-acre site, in hopes of encouraging the vulture population to
relocate by cutting off its food supply. Discovery did not suffer any
damage from the vulture collision or from the chunks of foam that fell
off its fuel tank during launch. But NASA fears collisions with the
large, carrion-eating birds could damage shuttle heat shields, leaving
the spacecraft vulnerable to an accident like the one that killed
Columbia's seven astronauts. About 500 lbs. of animal carcasses have been
removed since the program began two weeks ago, the center
said.</blockquote><br><br>
- Thomas<br><br>
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