Posted: Wed, Aug 3, 2005, 8:43 AM ET (1243 GMT)
NASA shuttle managers said late Tuesday they are studying what appears to be a debris hit on a thermal blanket near the front windows of the shuttle, and may decide to fix the damage to avoid problems on reentry. Officials said that photos show that a thermal blanket just below the front windows of Discovery appear to have been hit by debris during launch and has "puffed up". While the damage appears to be minor, engineers are concerned that damaged portions of the blanket could flake off during reentry and strike other portions of the orbiter. Managers said they expect to make a decision later this week on what work, if any, will be needed to fix the blanket.
