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| Astronauts inspect shuttle damage | Astronauts inspect shuttle damage |
| (about 8 hours later) | |
| Astronauts from the US space shuttle Endeavour are examining a gouge in its heat shield, sustained during take-off from Cape Canaveral on Wednesday. | Astronauts from the US space shuttle Endeavour are examining a gouge in its heat shield, sustained during take-off from Cape Canaveral on Wednesday. |
| The astronauts are using the shuttle's robotic arm and extension boom, tipped with a laser and a camera, to determine the exact size and depth of the gash. | The astronauts are using the shuttle's robotic arm and extension boom, tipped with a laser and a camera, to determine the exact size and depth of the gash. |
| Nasa experts on Earth detected the damage as the vessel docked with the International Space Station (ISS). | Nasa experts on Earth detected the damage as the vessel docked with the International Space Station (ISS). |
| A piece of foam which broke off the external fuel tank may be responsible. | A piece of foam which broke off the external fuel tank may be responsible. |
| Three-dimensional images and other information collected would be sent back to mission control in Houston and the conditions of re-entry into the atmosphere simulated in a laboratory, Nasa said. | |
| If repairs are necessary, the Endeavour mission would have to be prolonged to allow for an additional spacewalk, Nasa said. | If repairs are necessary, the Endeavour mission would have to be prolonged to allow for an additional spacewalk, Nasa said. |
| Foam problems | Foam problems |
| The 3in (7.6cm) square was first spotted as the shuttle approached the International Space Station (ISS) prior to docking on Friday. | The 3in (7.6cm) square was first spotted as the shuttle approached the International Space Station (ISS) prior to docking on Friday. |
| Another spacewalk may be needed to repair shuttle damageThe crew guided it into a backflip manoeuvre once it was about 200m (650ft) away from the station, so it could be photographed and checked in a routine inspection for possible damage from foam insulation. | Another spacewalk may be needed to repair shuttle damageThe crew guided it into a backflip manoeuvre once it was about 200m (650ft) away from the station, so it could be photographed and checked in a routine inspection for possible damage from foam insulation. |
| Nine pieces of foam are thought to have broken away during launch. | Nine pieces of foam are thought to have broken away during launch. |
| Mission Management Team chairman John Shannon said a mould of the gouge would be reproduced in thermal tiles and tested in a laboratory simulating the extreme heat and friction encountered on re-entry to the Earth's atmosphere. | |
| The tests - to be carried out within 48 hours - should allow engineers to determine whether repairs were needed, he said, quoted by AFP news agency. | |
| "This is something we would rather not deal with but we have really prepared for exactly this case," he said. | |
| Foam damage has been a major concern for Nasa since the Columbia disaster in 2003 when a briefcase-sized chunk of foam insulation broke off during launch and pierced the shuttle's heat-protection tiles. | Foam damage has been a major concern for Nasa since the Columbia disaster in 2003 when a briefcase-sized chunk of foam insulation broke off during launch and pierced the shuttle's heat-protection tiles. |
| This caused the shuttle to disintegrate on re-entry into the atmosphere, killing all seven crew. | This caused the shuttle to disintegrate on re-entry into the atmosphere, killing all seven crew. |
| More spacewalks | More spacewalks |
| The mission is scheduled to last for 11 days but can be extended to 14 thanks to a new piece of equipment that allows the shuttle to tap into the power grid of the ISS. | The mission is scheduled to last for 11 days but can be extended to 14 thanks to a new piece of equipment that allows the shuttle to tap into the power grid of the ISS. |
| Endeavour's last mission was prior to the Columbia disasterOn Saturday, two astronauts attached a new beam to the ISS on the mission's first spacewalk. | Endeavour's last mission was prior to the Columbia disasterOn Saturday, two astronauts attached a new beam to the ISS on the mission's first spacewalk. |
| American Rick Mastracchio and Canadian Dave Williams attached the 1.58-metric ton beam, or truss, to extend the space station's length to 108m (354ft). | American Rick Mastracchio and Canadian Dave Williams attached the 1.58-metric ton beam, or truss, to extend the space station's length to 108m (354ft). |
| At least two other spacewalks will be held to replace a defective gyroscope, one of four keeping the ISS on an even keel, and install a 3.3-ton stowage platform. | At least two other spacewalks will be held to replace a defective gyroscope, one of four keeping the ISS on an even keel, and install a 3.3-ton stowage platform. |
| Each of the spacewalks is scheduled to last six-and-a-half hours. | Each of the spacewalks is scheduled to last six-and-a-half hours. |
| The mission is the second of four that Nasa plans this year to finish the $100bn (£49.1bn) space station before the shuttle fleet retires in 2010. | The mission is the second of four that Nasa plans this year to finish the $100bn (£49.1bn) space station before the shuttle fleet retires in 2010. |