NASA inspection clears Endeavour for return

by Stevie Smith - Jul 30 2009, 15:30

NASA may have voiced its assurances regarding possible debris damage suffered by the space shuttle Endeavour during its launch from the Kennedy Space Center two weeks ago, but the U.S. space administration is taking no chances ahead of the shuttle’s return to Earth on Friday.

Specifically, members of the Endeavour’s crew found no major damage on the shuttle after carrying out a detailed inspection along the vehicle’s underside, which houses sensitive heat protection tiles vital for shielding the craft during re-entry through the planet’s atmosphere.

According to NASA flight director Tony Ceccacci, initial analysis of images captured by the astronauts has revealed nothing that might raise alarms and delay the shuttle’s scheduled return from the orbiting International Space Station.

The inspection, which was conducted with advanced laser and camera equipment, is standard procedure for all shuttle flights and is usually undertaken in order to assess any potential damage to the craft from micrometeorites or small pieces of orbiting space junk.

NASA has become more diligent in its safety checks in recent years after the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated during re-entry in 2003 when launch damage to its thermal shielding went unnoticed.

As the Endeavour undocked from the orbiting station on Tuesday, it was replaced by an unmanned Russian cargo vessel carrying several tonnes of important supplies for the waiting crew.

However, the supply ship’s docking didn’t go entirely to plan after a problem with its automatic guidance system left station commander Gennady Padalka forced to pilot the craft in manually.

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