Written by Derek Kessler on
Wednesday, 24 October 2007
In what is a happy contrast to the previous shuttle mission, the astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery did not notice any potentially dangerous damage to the shuttle's sensitive heat shield. Soon after acheiving orbit the opened the cargo bay doors and extended the shuttle's robotic arm. It carried a laser-sensor laden tip that was used to systematically scan the thermal tiles on the shuttle's underside. Engineers were worried that ice and foam falling off the external fuel tank could damage the shuttle, as happened to Columbia in 2003.
Discovery is on track to rendezous with the International Space Station tomorrow morning, where it will begin what NASA is describing as the most complicated ISS construction mission to date. On board the shuttle is the Italian-built Harmony Node, a connecting hub of sorts that will enable future missions to add on new modules to the station. The mission is expected to include five spacewalks to attached Harmony. Also on Discovery is astronaut Daniel Tani, who will be replacing five month ISS resident US astronaut Clayton Anderson.
Discovery will spend 14 days in orbit before returning to Earth.
In what is a happy contrast to the previous shuttle mission, the astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery did not notice any potentially dangerous damage to the shuttle's sensitive heat shield. Soon after acheiving orbit the opened the cargo bay doors and extended the shuttle's robotic arm. It carried a laser-sensor laden tip that was used to systematically scan the thermal tiles on the shuttle's underside. Engineers were worried that ice and foam falling off the external fuel tank could damage the shuttle, as happened to Columbia in 2003.
