The additional inspection of the spacecraft's integrity is required in view of the fear that unidentified objects floating in its vicinity are actually essential parts needed for landing
Avi Blizovsky
The astronauts of the space shuttle "Atlantis" will perform another inspection of their aircraft to ensure that the unidentified objects that were seen flying near the ship were not parts of the spacecraft's heat shield, or other essential accessories, the heads of the American space agency (NASS) said yesterday A).
Examination of the space shuttle's shell will be performed by scanning using the equipment on the shuttle's robotic arm. Imaging experts and engineers are reviewing the data from Wednesday's inspection and previous images to see if further testing of certain areas of the mantle is necessary.
The mission manager decided to cancel the shuttle's landing attempts today to allow the team to examine it in depth. The additional scans will make it possible to determine whether an object observed by the flight controllers who viewed the footage from a camera installed in the shuttle came from the shuttle itself.
As a result, the shuttle's return from its mission at the International Space Station will be delayed until tomorrow. Instead of the planned landing at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, today the six team members will be engaged in checking the integrity of all parts of the shuttle by a special robot installed in it.
"Since we have the time and the means to do so, we will conduct a review of all the critical parts of the space shuttle," the shuttle program manager, Wayne Hale, said yesterday. The currently scheduled landing time for the ferry is 6:22 a.m. Thursday EST in the United States (13:22 p.m. Israel time).
