Gouge Found on Shuttle Endeavour's Underside

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."

Comments

Where's the 250 Foot Robot?

[florescent_beige]

...using Endeavour's 100-foot robot arm and extension beam. Lasers on the end of the beam...

You know what bugs me? Ok? They have this 100-foot robot arm but they don't have the 250-foot robot that it must have come from. I mean if it has lasers on its ARM, imagine what else it has lasers on. Like, for example, on it's frikken head.

Which it's important to know if theres a 250-foot frikken robot with frikken lasers on its frikken head out there roaming around all mad because NASA ripped its arm off.

Re:Where's the 250 Foot Robot?

[jollyreaper]

You know what bugs me? Ok? They have this 100-foot robot arm but they don't have the 250-foot robot that it must have come from. I mean if it has lasers on its ARM, imagine what else it has lasers on. Like, for example, on it's frikken head. Yeah, you'd think having a 250-foot tall robot would be cool but the damn thing needs an extension cord and the battery only works for five minutes.

Deep [bleep]

[Tablizer]

"Whaddya mean you forgot the Duct Tape?"

Re:First post

[Tablizer]

3 years of reloading slashdot every day finally comes to fruition.

Think that's hard, next try to get your First Girlfriend :-)

Re:How that little porn star get there?

[jollyreaper]

by alfs boner (963844) Alter Relationship on Friday August 10, @11:14PM (#20192163)
(http://slashdot.org/...id=44091&cid=4592270)
I will never socialize with a Slashdot user. Sorry guys :(

Blame yourselves. Coming from an 80's sitcom's muppet's genitals, that hurts.

tagged: spacedrama

[SuperBanana]

NASA: the new Star Trek.

Rocket Scientists?

[n0dna]

Too bad NASA doesn't have access to any Rocket Scientists.

Maybe they could find some way to overcome whatever this treacherous material is that they've codenamed: "Styrofoam."

Although the new cameras do give us much nicer pictures of the things they decided were too hard to fix.

Color radar?

[RobRyland]

"Radar images show a white spray or streak coming off Endeavour 58 seconds after liftoff."
OK, it is a nit, but i couldn't let it pass...
-Rob

Of course there's a gouge!

[Khyber]

Meteor showers are the BEST times to send shuttles into space!!

Re:Of course there's a gouge!

[OneSmartFellow]

That's it, the key to traveling to the sun has been discovered !

We'll go at night !

Re:Can't be the First Time

[wasted]

I (and others) didn't think he was joking, but What Do You Care What Other People Think?

Re:Can't be the First Time

[bluephone]

If you want to advance in this world, you have to care somewhat, otherwise you find out There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom!