Only two days after what seemed like a flawless launch, NASA announced that a three inch gouge had been found on the underbelly of Space Shuttle Endeavour:
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) — NASA discovered a worrisome gouge on Endeavour’s belly soon after the shuttle docked with the international space station Friday. The gouge was possibly caused by ice that broke off the fuel tank a minute after liftoff.
The gouge — about 3 inches square — was spotted in photos taken by the space station crew shortly before Endeavour delivered teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan and her six crewmates to the orbiting outpost.
“What does this mean? I don’t know at this point,” said John Shannon, chairman of the mission management team. If the gouge is deep enough, the shuttle astronauts may have to patch it during a spacewalk, he said.
On Sunday, the astronauts will inspect the area, using Endeavour’s 100-foot robotic arm and extension beam. Lasers on the end of the beam will gauge the exact size and depth of the gouge, Shannon said, and then engineering analyses will determine whether the damage is severe enough to warrant repairs.
Hopefully, all will go well.
