main page newsspace newsthe "endeavor's" ship's skin were damaged when launching.

The "Endeavor's" ship's skin were damaged when launching.. / July 16, 2009 /

A few pieces of frozen isolation have come off an external fuel tank of a shuttle, which hit the ship’s-skin of the shuttle, during the takeoff «Endeavor», which has taken place on the Thursday night, July 16,the Associated Press reported.

According to Deputy Chief of NASA in charge of space operations Bill Gerstenmayer, before «Endeavor» docking to the ISS, the specialists will study the images of sites plating, which, presumably, were damaged.

He also said that during the looking for take-off shuttle, NASA noticed a few dark marks on the bottom of the shuttle fuselage. But he noted that most likely they do not represent a special danger.

Careful examination of the external shell of a regular shuttle after takeoff is made after the collapse of shuttle «Columbia», in 2003. Then the fragments which have come off a covering during the takeoff have damaged shuttle thermoisolation, as has led to its destruction at landing

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