spacetoday.net: Shuttle crew inspects for damage

Shuttle crew inspects for damage

Posted: Fri, Aug 10, 2007, 8:14 AM ET (1214 GMT)

The crew of the space shuttle Endeavour inspected the exterior of the orbiter on Thursday for any damage as the shuttle approached the International Space Station. The STS-118 crew used a camera mounted on a boom to check the leading edge of the shuttle's wings as well as the nose cap, looking for any damage that might have been caused by debris impacts. NASA officials said Thursday that nine pieces of foam fell off the shuttle's external tank during launch, and that three of them struck the orbiter, although none of the three are thought to be large enough to cause damage. Endeavour is scheduled to dock with the ISS at 1:53 pm EDT (1753 GMT) Friday.