NASA weighs spacewalk to fix shuttle

Christopher Sherman
Orlando Sentinel
Aug. 13, 2007 12:00 AM
HOUSTON - NASA may have to send astronauts on a spacewalk to mend a 3 1/2-inch gouge on the shuttle Endeavour's belly that appears to penetrate through two heat-shield tiles that protect the vehicle.

Images gathered by lasers and cameras confirmed Sunday that the divot went through the 1.12-inch-thick tiles, exposing heat-resistant feltlike material below. That material, like the tile, is designed to protect the orbiter from burning up in the 2,300-degree Fahrenheit environment of re-entry.

The mission management team will decide today or Tuesday whether a repair spacewalk is needed, its chairman, John Shannon, said.

NASA developed new procedures after foam damaged the Columbia's heat shield in 2003, causing the orbiter to disintegrate during re-entry.

There are three repair options: painting over the gouged area; screwing a heat-resistant plate over the damaged area; or filling the gap with a thick, epoxylike heat-resistant goo.