Post by ۞Quaalude™۞ on Aug 12, 2007 20:06:53 GMT -5
Astronauts from the US space shuttle Endeavour are examining a gouge in its heat shield, sustained during take-off from Cape Canaveral on Wednesday.
The astronauts are using the shuttle's robotic arm and extension boom, tipped with a laser and a camera, to determine the exact size and depth of the gash.
Nasa experts on Earth detected the damage as the vessel docked with the International Space Station (ISS).
A piece of foam which broke off the external fuel tank may be responsible.
Three-dimensional images and other information collected will be sent back to mission control in Houston for engineers to study, Nasa said.
If repairs are necessary, the Endeavour mission would have to be prolonged to allow for an additional spacewalk, Nasa said.
Foam problems
The 3in (7.6cm) square was first spotted as the shuttle approached the International Space Station (ISS) prior to docking on Friday. The crew guided it into a backflip manoeuvre once it was about 200m (650ft) away from the station, so it could be photographed and checked in a routine inspection for possible damage from foam insulation.
Nine pieces of foam are thought to have broken away during launch.
Foam damage has been a major concern for Nasa since the Columbia disaster in 2003 when a briefcase-sized chunk of foam insulation broke off during launch and pierced the shuttle's heat-protection tiles.
This caused the shuttle to disintegrate on re-entry into the atmosphere, killing all seven crew.
More spacewalks
The mission is scheduled to last for 11 days but can be extended to 14 thanks to a new piece of equipment that allows the shuttle to tap into the power grid of the ISS.
Endeavour launches from Cape Canaveral
Endeavour's last mission was prior to the Columbia disaster
On Saturday, two astronauts attached a new beam to the ISS on the mission's first spacewalk.
American Rick Mastracchio and Canadian Dave Williams attached the 1.58-metric ton beam, or truss, to extend the space station's length to 108m (354ft).
At least two other spacewalks will be held to replace a defective gyroscope, one of four keeping the ISS on an even keel, and install a 3.3-ton stowage platform.
Each of the spacewalks is scheduled to last six-and-a-half hours.
The mission is the second of four that Nasa plans this year to finish the $100bn (£49.1bn) space station before the shuttle fleet retires in 2010. QC
i think we need new Space Shuttles .
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6943451.stm
The astronauts are using the shuttle's robotic arm and extension boom, tipped with a laser and a camera, to determine the exact size and depth of the gash.
Nasa experts on Earth detected the damage as the vessel docked with the International Space Station (ISS).
A piece of foam which broke off the external fuel tank may be responsible.
Three-dimensional images and other information collected will be sent back to mission control in Houston for engineers to study, Nasa said.
If repairs are necessary, the Endeavour mission would have to be prolonged to allow for an additional spacewalk, Nasa said.
Foam problems
The 3in (7.6cm) square was first spotted as the shuttle approached the International Space Station (ISS) prior to docking on Friday. The crew guided it into a backflip manoeuvre once it was about 200m (650ft) away from the station, so it could be photographed and checked in a routine inspection for possible damage from foam insulation.
Nine pieces of foam are thought to have broken away during launch.
Foam damage has been a major concern for Nasa since the Columbia disaster in 2003 when a briefcase-sized chunk of foam insulation broke off during launch and pierced the shuttle's heat-protection tiles.
This caused the shuttle to disintegrate on re-entry into the atmosphere, killing all seven crew.
More spacewalks
The mission is scheduled to last for 11 days but can be extended to 14 thanks to a new piece of equipment that allows the shuttle to tap into the power grid of the ISS.
Endeavour launches from Cape Canaveral
Endeavour's last mission was prior to the Columbia disaster
On Saturday, two astronauts attached a new beam to the ISS on the mission's first spacewalk.
American Rick Mastracchio and Canadian Dave Williams attached the 1.58-metric ton beam, or truss, to extend the space station's length to 108m (354ft).
At least two other spacewalks will be held to replace a defective gyroscope, one of four keeping the ISS on an even keel, and install a 3.3-ton stowage platform.
Each of the spacewalks is scheduled to last six-and-a-half hours.
The mission is the second of four that Nasa plans this year to finish the $100bn (£49.1bn) space station before the shuttle fleet retires in 2010. QC
i think we need new Space Shuttles .
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6943451.stm