Astronaut Stephen Robinson will make a space walk underneath the Shuttle Discovery to remove strips that are sticking out between heat shield tiles on Discovery’s belly.
Nasa is concerned the dangling material – called gap fillers – could cause part of the shuttle to overheat as it re-enters the atmosphere.
Nasa confirmed that debris did indeed strike the shuttle during launch but Nasa officials say this is not related to damage from foam debris. Instead, the fabric could have been shaken loose by the vibrations during launch.
The International Space Station’s Canadarm2 robotic arm will position Discovery mission specialist Robinson underneath the shuttle so he can pull the gap fillers out.
This will be the first time that a space walk has been made underneath an orbiting shuttle.
See also Mark’s Article
(Source: BBC News)
Matt
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