Posted on 09/19/2006 2:44:33 PM PDT by COUNTrecount
NASA has been forced to hold off Wednesday's landing of the Shuttle Atlantis because of an object — possibly debris — floating nearby, shortly after sensors in the craft's wings indicated the shuttle had been hit by something.
NASA officials want to make sure it's not a piece of the spacecraft, something that might in some way endanger the crew and ship on re-entry.
No one knows what it is for certain, though some reports allege that the object may have come from the craft's cargo bay. The mysterious, gray round object is orbiting near Atlantis at an altitude of 187 nautical miles.
Flight controllers first noticed the object early this morning at 2:41. They were so concerned that they had the shuttle crew delay stowing the KU TV antenna so the crew could downlink more video of the mysterious object.
Mission controllers are manipulating the camera on the shuttle's robotic arm and looking inside the payload bay to see whether anything is missing that might account for the object.
The object was first noticed about 15 minutes after the shuttle crew performed a test firing of the forward and reaction control systems.
Though the crew would likely be happy to have their feet firmly planted on Earth tomorrow, the possibility of a delay was already a
STS 115 is the 116th shuttle mission and the first flight after two return to flight "test" flights, following the Columbia accident in February 2003.
This mission resumed construction of the half-built International Space Station with three ambitious spacewalks to install a 17-ton truss with a $395 million solar array on a rotating joint.
This crew of six was originally scheduled to fly 12 weeks after the Columbia accident in May 2003.
On this flight, the crew includes veteran Cmdr. Brett Jett, pilot Chris Ferguson, and four spacewalkers because of the intensive construction schedule.
The spacewalkers are Joe Tanner, Dan Burbank, Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper and Steve MacLean.
Atlantis will carry extra food and water in case the crew is forced to seek "safe haven" on the space station.
Didn't one of the space walkers lose a nut or a washer or something last week?
They're being tailed by tiny aliens.
Art Bell, you have a call on line 4...
Hoagland probably has this on TiVo and is "self preasuring" himself to it over and over...
"West of the rockies, caller you're on the air..."
I don't know, but I do know most of the Republicans in Washington have lost both of theirs.
Fox News just said a little while ago...now 2 objects...
UFO now number 2
Mysterious object? Must be that much-fabled "moderate Muslim" they're always talking about.
It's my buddies web-cam. I can't remember the address though.
NASA insists it is just an object that is flying which is thusfar unidentified...not like a UFO or anything.
>>NASA says it's not a UFO.<<
Heh, heh. If they don't know what it is, it is by definition a UFO, although, technically, it isn't flying. So, come to think of it, it cold be a Romulan bird of prey and they would be telling the truth. Those sneaky bast***s!
Fox News just said a little while ago...now 2 objectsLooks like Nancy Pelosi and a friend.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.