Once-over shows shuttle fine, but more checks set

cape canaveral The foam loss appears to be slight.

Astronauts used lasers and digital cameras Wednesday to examine the wings of the shuttle Discovery for any signs of launch damage as they gained on the international space station with every circling of Earth.

The good news was that the fuel tank of the Discovery did not appear to lose any significant amount of foam insulation during the crucial first two minutes of flight, said John Shannon, head of the mission management team. "Overall, the tank performed extremely well."

More data and analyses are needed, however, before NASA can say with absolute certainty that the shuttle's thermal shielding made it through the launch damage-free.

The inspection carried out Wednesday is standard procedure, but it's an even higher priority this time because of questions about possible flaws in three wing panels.

Shannon said a preliminary look at the images revealed nothing of significance, but it will take another few days before experts on the ground complete their analyses.

Commander Pamela Melroy and her crew used a 100-foot boom to survey the shuttle's wings and nose, which are exposed to as much as 3,000 degrees during re-entry. NASA wants to make sure none of the protective coating has chipped away.

[Last modified October 25, 2007, 01:07:38]