Astronauts check potential shuttle problem

[IndianaGreen]

Astronauts check potential shuttle problem

Sensor readings spark concern; extra inspection of left wing conducted

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - In the wake of the shuttle Discovery's successful docking with the international space station, astronauts turned their attention Monday night to a potential problem with the leading edge on the shuttle's left wing — the same general area that was damaged in the shuttle Columbia's fatal flight almost four years ago.

The shuttle's sensors indicated that there could have been a shift or debris hit affecting some of the panels on the leading edge's reinforced carbon-carbon panels, Mission Control told the crew. As a result, the astronauts changed their time line, and used the shuttle's camera-tipped robotic arm to take a closer look at the panels. An initial look did not turn up anything that would give cause for concern, NASA officials told NBC News.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16151359/

[napi21]

1. I sure hope they're OK. The leading edge of any aircraft is

critical to flight! I wonder what made them think there was a problem? False warning?

[IndianaGreen]

2. NASA has been tight-lipped

in the OP there is speculation about space debris. They are looking at the problem now. If it is bad news, we won't hear about it for a while.

[rsmith6621]

3. Is'nt there Something Better To Spend

The taxpayers money on here on earth to make it a better place......2 million pounds of fuel alone for liftoff would buy a few houses for those less fortunate or put food on a lot more tables and think about healthcare.....


Anyhow I hope things are ok....we don't need another catastrophe we had a big enough one in Feb 2002 and now everyday in Iraq.

[FogerRox]

4. Of course if the future of man is in space

Just sayin. I think its a good idea to go into space, to eventually get all the toxic processes/factories/waste dumps off the planet. What do you think?

There is a certain advantage to moving a good part of our industrial base off planet, dont you think?

[onehandle]

5. That is Exactly right.

Get heavy chemical and industrial works off earth. That has always been the goal.

[FogerRox]

6. Which might leave more room for like . . . . .

Organic food production. Gardens, forests.

[AndyTiedye]

9. We NEED To Go Into Space. END THE WAR and there will be plenty of money to help the poor

[daleo]

7. I hope it's ok

Another space disaster would be very hard to take.

[SaveElmer]

8. According to this article...

The impact was about 1/100th the strength they consider problematical...like you said sounds like space debris...

He added that the impact detected by the wing sensors was only about 0.12 gravity root mean square (GRMS), about 1/100th of what would normally generate concern. It takes about a 10 GRMS impact to create a scuff on a heat shield tile, and a 20 GRMS collision to make a crack or hole.

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/061211_sts116_unschedinspect.html

[Nihil]

10. Strange

"Space debris" is normally used to refer to orbiting fragments which,
by virtue of their speed, can cause a very high energy impact.
A low energy impact like this one is more likely to be from a
comparatively slow object (e.g., ice, debris from the shuttle itself).

Fortunately, as the launch was at night, there are no inconvenient
cameras to notice loose debris hitting the shuttle on take-off.

Mind you, it would be very sad if the shuttle had a problem after all.
Just think of all those people watching their moron-boxes for "24x7 shuttle
updates" (in between the reality TV & quiz shows) rather than paying
attention to the slaughter in Iraq, the droughts, the melting permafrost
and other such trivia ...