Astronauts inspect gouge on space shuttle's belly

Source: AP

By MARCIA DUNN

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) - Space shuttle Endeavour's astronauts took a close, detailed look at a small gash in the belly of their ship Saturday, to ensure their safety when they return to Earth in 1 1/2 weeks.

NASA ordered the inspection during the next-to-last shuttle flight, even though managers said there was no reason to be alarmed by the damage generated by Monday's liftoff.

The 3-D survey - normally not needed on a shuttle's underside - was carried out just a few hours before an unprecedented VIP call to the orbiting shuttle-station complex.

Pope Benedict XVI was set to make the first papal call to space, phoning the 12 astronauts from the Vatican. Two Italians are on board: one is a member of the shuttle Endeavour crew, while the other is close to ending a five-month stay aboard the International Space Station.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20110521/D9NBNOO82.html

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This undated image made available by NASA on Friday, May 20, 2011 shows a damaged thermal tile on the space shuttle Endeavour's underbelly. The crew is planning to use a laser-tipped boom early Saturday, May 21, 2011 to inspect the gouge which is about the size of a deck of cards. (AP Photo/NASA)

Even if it can't re-enter, it may be used by the ISS crew as a "lifeboat" in emergencies, and its arm and bay doors could assist in experiments. The astronauts could come down over time using planned Russian visits or by replacing the emergency reentry craft already aboard.

My guess why they don't is that the extra mass would require a lot of extra reaction mass to keep the space station aloft.

It runs on hydrogen, correct? That will leak through any seal--one of the reasons hydrogen isn't really a suitable fuel for cars. "But mom, I DID fill it up!"

Both the OMS and the RCS run on hypergolic fuels (chemicals which react on contact with each other, sort of like vinegar and baking soda, so that an ignition system is not necessary). Individually and together, hypergolic fuels tend to be volatile and corrosive and quite dangerous--much worse than hydrogen, in fact.

The simplicity and reliability they bring to orbital maneuvering far outweighs the dangers in the short term, but over time those things could eat their way loose and cause big problems.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Orbital_Maneuvering_System

I'd enjoy that.