the helmet camera view

atlantis in-orbit repair

The crew of space shuttle Atlantis will attempt an unprecedented repair of the rear of their spacecraft in orbit as early as Friday because of damage during liftoff to the critical heat shield there, NASA managers decided Monday.


During Atlantis' launch last week, aerodynamic forces blew back a 4-inch-by-6-inch corner of a heat-shielding blanket, said John Shannon, deputy shuttle program manager. The blanket protects an engine casing to the left of the shuttle's tail from temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees as the shuttle re-enters the Earth's atmosphere....
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astronaut j.d.olivas is from the helmet camera of crewmember j.reiily as they work to install new solar panel on the iss

The Atlantis astronauts spotted the detached corner Saturday during a standard day-long inspection of their ship, using lasers and cameras.

If the blanket isn't refastened, heat could eat away the silicon sheets that make up the engine casing itself, Shannon said. Engineers don't know whether the casing could erode enough to pose a safety hazard to the crew

the new truss segment being maneuvered by space station robotic arm