NASA managers call shuttle launch a success
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) NASA managers celebrated the success of
the nation's first Fourth of July manned shuttle launch, saying they
were not worried about a small piece of foam that broke off and hit the
Discovery during its ascent.
"They don't get much better than this," NASA Administrator Michael
Griffin said of the launch. Griffin chose to go ahead with the mission
over concerns from the space agency's safety officer and chief engineer
about foam problems that have dogged the agency since Columbia was
doomed by a flyaway chunk of insulation 3 1/2 years ago.
The shuttle's astronauts planned to give the spacecraft a more
thorough physical examination from space on the second day of their
12-day mission. They were to take images of the shuttle's wings and nose
cap with a camera and laser attached to a 50-foot (15-meter) boom, which
itself would be affixed to the shuttle's 50-foot (15-meter) robotic arm.
The Day 2 inspections were implemented after the Columbia disaster,
in which foam from the shuttle's external tank struck the orbiter's
wing, allowing fiery gases to enter the spacecraft during descent in
2003. All seven astronauts were killed.
Last year's Discovery crew was the first to try out the new
inspection techniques, which can detect damage as small as an eighth of
an inch (a third of a centimeter). The current crew will only be the
second to conduct such inspections.
"We can detect very, very small damage indeed," said Wayne Hale,
shuttle program manager. Shuttle managers said early video images of
liftoff showing small pieces of foam breaking away - and one striking
the spacecraft - were not troubling.
"The tank performed very, very well, indeed, very pleased as opposed
to where we were last year," Hale said, five hours after liftoff. "We
saw nothing that gives us any kind of concern about the health of the
crew or the vehicle."
In its flight last July, Discovery experienced dangerous foam loss,
though the chunk was smaller than one that slammed into Columbia's left
wing, and it missed Discovery altogether.
Discovery blasted off from its seaside pad Tuesday at 2:38 p.m EDT
(1838GMT).
About three minutes later, as many as five pieces of debris were seen
flying off the tank, and another piece of foam popped off a bit later,
Mission Control told the crew. The latter piece struck the belly of
Discovery, but NASA assured the seven astronauts it was no concern
because of the timing. Hale said Discovery was so high when the pieces
came off that there was not enough air to accelerate the foam into the
shuttle and cause damage.
All but one of the foam pieces were small, and all came off well
after the two-minute, 15-second point where they can still cause damage,
Hale said. NASA had expected minor foam loss.
The astronauts reported seeing what they described as a large piece
of cloth tumbling away from Discovery soon after reaching orbit. It
looked like one of the thermal blankets that protects the shuttle, they
said, but Mission Control told them it was likely ice and that a similar
observation was made during Discovery's flight a year ago.
"Wow, that's real good news," said shuttle commander Steven Lindsey.
Hale later confirmed it was ice.
The mission for Discovery's crew is to test shuttle-inspection
techniques, deliver supplies to the international space station and drop
off European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Reiter for a six-month stay.
Astronauts Piers Sellers and Mike Fossum plan to conduct two spacewalks,
and possibly a third one, which would extend the mission by a day.
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