Written by Derek Kessler on
Sunday, 12 August 2007
After a close-range laser inspection by the astronauts onboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, NASA has revealed that the 3 1/2 inch-long gouge on the shuttle's belly penetrates all of the way through the fragile inch-thick themal heat sheilding. NASA engineers are calculating what level of repairs will be required, though it seems more than likely that sometime in the next week NASA astronauts will make the first ever spacewalk to repair damage to a spacecraft's heat reentry sheild. The damaged area is exposed to over 2300 degree F heat during atmostpheric reentry; a similar, albeit much larger, hole destroyed the Space Shuttle Columbia during reentry in 2003.
After a close-range laser inspection by the astronauts onboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, NASA has revealed that the 3 1/2 inch-long gouge on the shuttle's belly penetrates all of the way through the fragile inch-thick themal heat sheilding. NASA engineers are calculating what level of repairs will be required, though it seems more than likely that sometime in the next week NASA astronauts will make the first ever spacewalk to repair damage to a spacecraft's heat reentry sheild. The damaged area is exposed to over 2300 degree F heat during atmostpheric reentry; a similar, albeit much larger, hole destroyed the Space Shuttle Columbia during reentry in 2003.
