Posted on 07/05/2006 4:19:58 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
HOUSTON - Early inspections have revealed no damage to the space shuttle Discovery, NASA said Wednesday after a day of checking out the spacecraft with on-board cameras. That means that when the shuttle meets up with the international space station Thursday morning it likely won't need emergency repairs while hooked up with the orbital outpost — unlike last year's daring spacewalk fixes.
Discovery's delicate heat shield and everything else appear at first glance to be in near perfect shape, NASA officials said, although it's still very early in the analysis.
Engineers are nowhere near finished poring over 70 minutes of video that astronauts shot using an extended boom armed with a laser and cameras to inspect Discovery's delicate reinforced carbon wing and nosecone.
It took Discovery's crew more than six hours to get 70 minutes of video because they had to move the boom slowly so not to bump the fragile shuttle skin.
In 2003, a piece of foam insulation from the shuttle's external tank knocked a hole in a wing during launch, causing Columbia to disintegrate as it returned home for a landing.
And last year, film captured damage during the first space flight after Columbia, requiring a special on-the-belly emergency repair spacewalk.
Engineers will painstakingly go over Wednesday's images of Discovery — and others shot by cameras during Tuesday's launch from various locations — and report any possible losses of foam from the tank or damage points on the shuttle. So far the list of "areas of interest" for possible damage is empty, lead flight director Tony Ceccacci said in an early afternoon news conference.
Launch photos show only five minor cases of debris shedding, all occurring after the shuttle was at such a high altitude there was little air pressure and no force to cause damage, shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said on Tuesday.
"We have a very clean vehicle," Ceccacci said.
Clean except for what looks like powerful bird droppings.
The first video of the right wing of Discovery showed whitish splotches on the black coating. When Ceccacci saw that in Mission Control, he said he laughed. That's because three weeks earlier he had noticed the same splotches on Discovery as it sat awaiting launch. He said they looked like bird droppings from a distance of about 10 feet.
"We didn't touch anything if that's what you're asking," Ceccacci told reporters, drawing a big laugh.
Ceccacci said the imagery experts will study the splotches to be sure they're harmless. If that's what they are, "it'll burn up," during the return from space, he said. There wasn't enough heat during launch to get rid of the residue.
He also said that a prelaunch problem involving a thruster heater should be fixed by Thursday morning when it's needed for the delicate dance of docking the shuttle with the space station. The two will stay connected at least until July 14.
The seven-member Discovery crew awoke early Wednesday to sounds of "Lift Every Voice and Sing," sometimes referred to as the black national anthem.
"That one is particularly dear to my heart because ... after the day of our nation's independence, it's very fitting because it reminds us that anyone and everyone can participate in the space program," astronaut Stephanie Wilson, only the second black woman in space, radioed to Mission Control.
The mission for Discovery's crew is to test shuttle-inspection techniques, deliver supplies to the international space station and drop off European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter for a six-month stay. Astronauts Piers Sellers and Fossum plan to carry out two spacewalks, and possibly a third, which would extend the 12-day mission by a day.
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On the Net:
NASA: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov
In this image made from NASA TV, a camera mounted on the Space Shuttle Discovery's robot arm shows the docking port in the cargo bay Wednesday, July 5, 2006. The shuttle is scheduled to dock with the International Space Station Thursday, July 6. (AP Photo/NASA TV)
They did find some bird poop on the RCC panels.
Vultures, most likely... ;-)
Thousands of airplanes take off and land in this country each and every day. They carry tens of thousands of passengers and their baggage. They don't have many accidents.
Just what is the big deal about the space stuff? Maybe 40 people have flown in space, and we have teflon to show for it.
Gus Grissom and a few other astronauts lost their lives, and they were considered heroes. Why?
Planes don't go 17,500 miles per hour and orbit the earth. Astronauts are heros because they take the initiative to push the boundries and explore outside of the Earth's atmosphere. I have the ability to dream of what's out there, and what will be found. It's fine that you don't care about it, that's your choice. :)
The HDTV channel had coverage of the prep for launch on 07/01 and 07/02, then the prep for launch and launch on 07/04. These were some of the most interesting, informative and enjoyable presentations I've seen on the shuttle.
The launch was inspiring. I'm glad everything went smoothly.
Closer to 500.
How funny.
It's a bit of a sad commentary on the space shuttle program that the fact that a shuttle was launched and that the vehicle appears to be NOT headed for catastrophe is news.
spaceflightnow.com
1431 GMT (10:31 a.m. EDT)
Discovery is 135 feet from the docking port, closing at 0.14 feet per second.
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