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NASA officials want to make sure it's not a piece of the spacecraft, something that might in some way endanger the crew and ship on re-entry.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=2463192
No one knows what it is for certain, though some reports allege that the object may have come from the craft's cargo bay. The mysterious, gray round object is orbiting near Atlantis at an altitude of 187 nautical miles.
Shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said something "apparently shook loose" during the test.
http://www.wesh.com/news/9883666/detail.html
He said the shuttle vibrates and shakes pretty good during the pre-landing tests.
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is it dangerous ?
'first steps are not for cheap, think about it...
did China build a great Wall in a day ?' ( Y L R newmars forum member )
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If its a piece of the heat shield, "maybe"
The orbiter can lose a few of the glass tiles, provided they don't come from around the landing gear or fuel hatch doors. If its a piece of the leading edge carbon shield, then we have a Columbia 2.0 on our hands.
[i]"The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those that do not have it." - George Bernard Shaw[/i]
[i]The glass is at 50% of capacity[/i]
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but now that they have forseen a potential problem don't they option to return to i.s.s and do EVA to repair on the shuttle ?
'first steps are not for cheap, think about it...
did China build a great Wall in a day ?' ( Y L R newmars forum member )
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Depends if there is any damage or not. The heat shield inspection boom should, in theory, be able to check well enough. It might be nothing important at all.
[i]"The power of accurate observation is often called cynicism by those that do not have it." - George Bernard Shaw[/i]
[i]The glass is at 50% of capacity[/i]
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This is so not funny for the crew who must be on pins and needles knowing that it is not identifiable.
Ground crews were to look but even the size of the object is one thing that they can not tell how big it really is...
I am not sure if the shuttle has the power adapter hardware for extended stay if they should go back. If they do not the shuttles electronics could be damaged once the fuel cells propelant runs dry.
The TV news reports indicate bad weather would have delayed shuttles return tommorow but that Nasa would try for Thursday. The shuttle also has the ability to stay until Saturday as the outside window before do or die decision time.
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