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 | | The affected area is in the forward bipod area, where struts join the giant external fuel tank to the shuttle. |
 | | In the old design, the two bipod fittings, which are the attachment points for the 135-centimeter-long struts, were covered with wedge-shaped foam structures called bipod ramps. |
 | | The bipod ramps, which measured 76 centimetres (cm) long by 36 cm wide by 31 cm tall, also protected the bipod fittings from aerodynamic stresses. |
| www.nickelinstitute.org /index.cfm/ci_id/13733.htm (293 words) |
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