spacetoday.net: NASA weighing shuttle tile repair

Posted: Mon, Aug 13, 2007, 11:00 AM ET (1500 GMT)
STS-118: tile gouge on underside of shuttle (NASA)

Shuttle managers are considering whether to have astronauts repair a damaged tile on the underside of the shuttle Endeavour after images taken on Sunday revealed the gash to be deeper than previously thought. The "focused inspection" of the damage, performed Sunday, revealed that the gouge goes almost all the way through the tile, about three centimeters thick. Officials don't believe that the damage poses a risk to the safety of the shuttle crew upon reentry, but are considering options to repair the gash by adding a spacewalk later in the mission. NASa is going ahead with plans for the second of three planned EVAs on Monday, where astronauts will replace a failed gyro on the station. NASA also on Sunday extended the shuttle's stay at the ISS by three days, to August 20; the additional time is made possible by a station-to-shuttle power transfer system that allows the shuttle to conserve the use of its own fuel cells to power the orbiter.