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Gouge Found on Shuttle Endeavour's Underside

Posted by Zonk on from the i-hear-duct-tape-works-well dept.

SonicSpike writes " NASA has discovered a chunk missing from the underside of the space shuttle Endeavour. It was discovered after the shuttle docked with the ISS earlier today. Technicians theorize it may have been caused by ice ripping free of a fuel take during takeoff. From the article:'The gouge — about 3 inches square — was spotted in zoom-in photography taken by the space station crew shortly before Endeavour delivered teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan and her six crewmates to the orbiting outpost ... On Sunday, the astronauts will inspect the area, using Endeavour's 100-foot robot 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. Radar images show a white spray or streak coming off Endeavour 58 seconds after liftoff. Engineers theorize that if the debris was ice, it pierced the tile and then broke up, scraping the area downwind. Pictures from Friday's photo inspection show downwind scrapes."

3 of 151 comments (clear)

  1. They've had it. by drsquare · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    The worst part for them is when they re-enter, knowing that they're about to burn up at any minute. I wouldn't want to be in their shoes right now.

  2. Re:Where's the 250 Foot Robot? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    WTF! NASA is screwing up every which way this week. First the redesign of the tank didn't solve the breaking of the shuttle. They broke the shuttle. As you mention they set loose an angry armless monster bent on vengeance, and finally, they reveal that they fucked up and that not only was 1998 not hottest year on record, but half of the hottest years on record were before WWII.

    Is there anything NASA can get right? If they're ripping laser-equipped arms off of robots now, the LEAST they could do is give us some sharks with frikken laser beams attached to their heads. Believe you me, if they had sharks with fricken laser beams on there heads, I'm sure THEY would be able to inspect the shuttle!!

  3. Not Your Daddys NASA Anymore by chromozone · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I think its time to scrap those vehicles before NASA has the next "event". NASA doesn't exactly come across as a "crack" outfit anymore and I wouldn't want them watching my back as I hurdle through space on aging junk. I would need those special diapers. NASA looks to me like an outfit that will keep launching these "beaters" until they HAVE to stop (after the next accident anyone can see is coming).