Shuttle Return Delayed By Debris
Nasa called off the space shuttle's return to Earth last night amid fears it might have been struck by a chunk of debris seen floating away from the orbiter.
Video cameras aboard Atlantis captured the mystery object spinning off into space as the shuttle's six astronauts were preparing for this morning's scheduled landing at Florida's Kennedy Space Centre, after an 11-day mission to the international space station. Sensors alerted mission controllers in Houston that the debris might have struck the thermal protection coating on the shuttle's right wing.
It was a breach in the heat shield that caused the space shuttle Columbia to disintegrate on re-entry in 2003, killing seven astronauts.
"It certainly got our attention," said Wayne Hale, Nasa's space shuttle programme manager. He said it was unclear whether the debris was something "benign" such as ice or something more serious.
In an apparent second incident Brent Jett, the shuttle commander, said fellow astronaut Dan Burbank saw another piece of debris drifting from the payload bay. Flight managers delayed the landing by at least 24 hours and were considering whether to deploy the camera on the shuttle's extending robotic arm to perform an additional check of the heat shield.
Mr Hale said astronauts might also be required to perform a spacewalk to look for damage. "All options are on the table, even a re-rendezvous with the space station if we felt it necessary," he said. "But those decisions are far away."
Video cameras aboard Atlantis captured the mystery object spinning off into space as the shuttle's six astronauts were preparing for this morning's scheduled landing at Florida's Kennedy Space Centre, after an 11-day mission to the international space station. Sensors alerted mission controllers in Houston that the debris might have struck the thermal protection coating on the shuttle's right wing.
It was a breach in the heat shield that caused the space shuttle Columbia to disintegrate on re-entry in 2003, killing seven astronauts.
"It certainly got our attention," said Wayne Hale, Nasa's space shuttle programme manager. He said it was unclear whether the debris was something "benign" such as ice or something more serious.
In an apparent second incident Brent Jett, the shuttle commander, said fellow astronaut Dan Burbank saw another piece of debris drifting from the payload bay. Flight managers delayed the landing by at least 24 hours and were considering whether to deploy the camera on the shuttle's extending robotic arm to perform an additional check of the heat shield.
Mr Hale said astronauts might also be required to perform a spacewalk to look for damage. "All options are on the table, even a re-rendezvous with the space station if we felt it necessary," he said. "But those decisions are far away."
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