Avatar Posted by BlogMarker 515 days ago (http://www.orlandosentinel.com)
Category: Science Discovery Environment | Tags: nasa eyeing likely gash endeavour
HOUSTON - Concerned NASA officials said Friday that there appears to be a 3-inch-by-3-inch gouge in a heat-shield tile on shuttle Endeavour's underbelly, possibly caused by a piece of ice breaking off of the fuel tank 58 seconds after liftoff.

Shuttle managers plan to use lasers on the end of the shuttle's 100-foot robot arm and extension to get a detailed image of the divot Sunday, said John Shannon, chairman of the mission-management team.

"What does this mean? I don't know at this point," Shannon said. Once the size and depth of the gouge are determined, NASA engineers will determine what it could mean for re-entry and whether repair is necessary. "It looks like it was an ice impact to me."
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