Final findings will not be available for several days as a team of 200 experts study all video and stills footage taken of the Shuttle during launch, and on approach to the International Space Station  , with which Discovery docked earlier today. Images from new cameras have revealed that a section of foam weighing some 250g fell away from the external fuel tank during launch, but did not strike the Orbiter. However, NASA has announced the grounding of all further planned Shuttle launches until they have a firm understanding of why the foam comes away, and what to do about it. A piece of foam striking the Columbia's wing during take-off in January 2003 was responsible for the loss of the craft as it made its re-entry to Earth's atmosphere. In a first, the Shuttle also performed a slow back-flip in some 180m from the ISS enabling the two-man crew of the space station to take high-resolution images of the underside of the Orbiter.
Final findings will not be available for several days as a team of 200 experts study all video and stills footage taken of the shuttle during launch, and on approach to the International Space Station (ISS) , with which Discovery docked earlier today. Images from new cameras have revealed that a section of foam weighing some 250 g fell away from the external fuel tank during launch, but did not strike the Orbiter. However, NASA has announced the grounding of all further planned Shuttle launches until they have a firm understanding of why the foam comes away, and what to do about it. A piece of foam striking the Columbia's wing during take-off in January 2003 was responsible for the loss of the craft as it made its reentry to Earth's atmosphere. In a first, the Shuttle also performed a slow back-flip in some 180 m from the ISS enabling the two-man crew of the space station to take high-resolution images of the underside of the Orbiter.
R
Shuttle
shuttle
A
(ISS)
R
250g
250 g
R
re-entry
reentry
R
180m
180 m