Nasa is today reviewing video showing debris falling from the space shuttle Discoveryduring liftoff yesterday, the same problem that caused the fatal Columbiadisaster 2-1/2 years earlier.
The debris did not appear to hit the shuttle during the smooth morning blastoff, marking a triumphant US return to manned space travel after the long struggle to recover from Columbia'sbreakup over Texas.
Space shuttle Discovery lifts off in Cape Canaveral, Florida yesterday
Engineers hoped to know by Sunday whether Discoverywas damaged and whether the crew should attempt repairs, flight operations manager John Shannon said.
A chunk of foam from an external fuel tank hit Columbia'swing during liftoff on January 16th, 2003, and caused a breach that tore the shuttle apart when it reentered Earth's atmosphere 16 days later. All seven astronauts aboard were killed.
Discovery, also carrying seven crew members, soared into slightly hazy skies yesterday, leaving behind a trail of smoke and flames, while the roar of its booster rockets rattled windows and shook the ground across Cape Canaveral in Florida.
Discovery'smain mission on the 12-day space flight under veteran astronaut Eileen Collins is to test new safety measures and heat shield repair techniques introduced since Columbiadisintegrated.
An unprecedented array of 112 cameras, radars and sensors was set up to monitor Discovery'slaunch. One showed what may have been a small chip from an insulating tile falling off the underside of the shuttle's nose cone, Shannon said.
Another seemed to show a larger piece of debris peeling off the exterior fuel tank. Mission control officials at Johnson Space Centre in Houston said technicians would analyze the data "frame by frame" to see if there was any damage.