Tough call on all parties involved. There is a chance that if they do the repair they could accidentally do more damage rather than repair it.

Through that hole in the tiles there is now only a thin piece of felt protecting the aluminum of the shuttle.

Everyone on that shuttle has to have seen what happened and know very well what caused the last tragic reentry breakup. I can't even begin to imagine what is going through their minds on a personal level right now. Needless to say, it will be a very tense and perhaps scary reentry for them, NASA, their family, friends and loved ones.

NASA claims they are not that worried about this, publicly, and to the shuttle crew, No one really knows what discussions went on at NASA in secrecy, or what the exact results of tests done by engineers who may have simulated the possible repairs, and found that it just wasn't worth the risk, or that it was deemed an unnecessary repair.

Lets hope they make it back safe, and NASA at least considers new designs and technologies for future shuttles and missions, perhaps it is time to retire this ageing technology?



[edit on 16-8-2007 by UM_Gazz]

NASA probably feels that the damage is located in an area of relatively low thermal load and thus the extent of the damage is insuffucient to pose a danger to the ship or crew.

Remember, the flaw that brought down Columbia was much larger, and was located on the leading edge of the wing: an area subjected to the most intense thermal load experienced by the Shuttle during re-entry.

It's a tough call, and it may prove to be a fatal call at that, but given the circumstances, it appears to be a logical decision.

Did anybody see in the article what date they are supposed to fly back home on? I didn't see one, but I might have missed it. I will definitely be praying they make it home safely...

Barbara Morgan, Backup to Teacher Killed on Challenger

Me thinks she make poopies in space pants.

Originally posted by apc
Me thinks she make poopies in space pants.

HAHAHAHA! I know I'd be crapping my pants right about now if I was on Endeavor!

Space Shuttles have come back before (Columbia) with several underbelly thermal tiles missing and no one thought anything of it. The situation is different with the leading edge as the pressure and heat is greatest there. This thermal tile is not even entirely penetrated and the damage is only a few inches wide. Columbia on the other hand had a hole on the most sensitive part of the Shuttle several feet wide that penetrated all the way into the wing. They not only have past experience to go on but also powerful modeling computers which can show the result of performing reentry with this scenario. And on top of that they probably did real live lab test with similarly damaged thermal tiles. So lets give the experts the benefit of the doubt as we have no expertise in the area.

there is always something with these tiles . falling off or rapairing.
im happy my car is a bit tuffer.

While the Shuttle design is inherently flawed your car comment is pointless and irrelevant. Designing a reusable space vehicle is challenging when you cannot yet archive a one stage to orbit.

[edit on 16-8-2007 by WestPoint23]

I hope this doesn't come back and bite them in the backside.

I read the decision and wondered why they didn't adopt a "better safe than sorry" policy. It makes more sense to me to fix it, rather than risk it.

I sure as hell wouldn't want to be on that ride back down.

I must agree with WestPoint regarding the decision; as he noted, earlier missions returned unharmed with several tiles on the underbelly missing.

Pure speculation about why NASA did not order a patch, but you have to imagine that it would be extremely difficult to carry out in space and would doubtless be a real hack job, probably causing more drag upon re-entry than simply leaving the gouge alone. The patch could well dislodge the affected tiles and create an even more dangerous condition than before.

Tough call I'm sure, but paradoxically conservative. Hoping its the right one.

I really hope this isn't going to be 'famous last words' time.

If any thing happens it's prob gonna go wrong in a big way.

People have said that shuttles have come back missing entire tiles - is there any general consensus on when the tiles were lost? For some reason I'm thinking a gash like this one would occur on the journey up, and entire tile loss would be on the return journey (after / during the period of most heat) but thats just a feeling - not based on any thing.

If they loose another shuttle I think that will effectively be the end of these birds - then they'd rush the next generation through, and probably build in a whole new set of problems.

RIP astronauts.
Your Government has resigned you to death
America!! you can't beat the respect they have for their people

As i was starting to type up a response to this, Here is the thought that popped in my head.

Most probably nothing will happen. But, if something does, could NASA use an impending explosion of yet another shuttle for more funding to retire the old gals and bring something new online for use early? In other words, use the age and problems(which we all know there are plenty of anyways) of the shuttles to get bigger checks from Gov for something better and new?

Just a thought i had. I truly hope they make it home safe, each and everytime they go up. No matter what vehicle they use to get there and back.

If I would ever have to go into space, I would go with the russians and there would be no way in the world that I would fly with Nasa. I do believe that flightcontrol and all the people directly involved do care a lot for the welbeing of the astronauts but you never know how it works in the other layers of this agencie. I think they (or at least part of them) act totally irresponsible towards the astronauts which lives lay in their hands.

Juliet

Originally posted by WestPoint23
While the Shuttle design is inherently flawed your car comment is pointless and irrelevant. . (quote)





just saying every time they go up there ..there is a problem with the craft
pure junk if you ask me and could be turned into Space dust instantly

That's all.