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Cape Canaveral, Fla. (UPI) May 21, 2011 NASA says it will know by Sunday if a damaged heat shield tile on the shuttle Endeavour needs to be repaired before the shuttle heads back to Earth. Astronauts were asked to photograph the damaged area with a digital camera and lasers mounted on the end of a robotically controlled boom, Florida Today reported Saturday. Officials don't think the tile will require repair but asked for more detailed information before making a decision. "This is one that we feel pretty confident that we're going to be able to clear once we get some higher-fidelity data," said LeRoy Cain, head of the mission management team. NASA said the 3-by-2 inch gouge is about 1 inch deep. Officials said it might have been caused by a piece of ice falling from the craft about 70 seconds after liftoff. If the tile needs repair, astronauts could be asked to perform a space walk to apply a coating over the gouge.
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NASA aims for July 8 launch of last-ever shuttle flightWashington (AFP) May 20, 2011 NASA said Friday it is aiming to launch the space shuttle Atlantis on July 8 for the last-ever flight of the 30-year-old American shuttle program. The 12-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will be staffed by a smaller than usual crew of four American astronauts, the US space agency said. "NASA's final space shuttle flight is targeted to launch July 8 at about 11:40 am ( ... read more |
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