Crew confident of safe return

DISCOVERY commander Eileen Collins said from orbit yesterday that she was surprised that a large piece of foam broke away despite years of work to prevent such shedding in the wake of the Columbia tragedy.

However, Ms Collins said she is confident that Discovery, which unlike Columbia wasn't hit by the large piece of foam, will get her crew home safely.

"Personally, I did not expect any large pieces of foam to fall off the external tank," she said in her first interviews from space yesterday morning. "I thought we had that licked."

Ms Collins and astronaut Andy Thomas described the setback to the programme as a disappointment, but said they believed the problem must and can be fixed.

Discovery's astronauts spent yesterday morning unloading 15 tonnes of supplies onto the International Space Station. They planned to check the shuttle for damage later in the day after NASA said a smaller piece of foam may have hit a wing during lift-off.

"We know we do have some small damage," Ms Collins said.

However, this isn't any different from the beating shuttles often sustain on the way into orbit, she said.

NASA officials have said Discovery does look safe to fly home in a week, but stressed it will be another few days before they can give the shuttle a clean bill of health.

NASA analysts have identified 11 areas including Discovery's wings, nose and belly that they want astronauts to take another look at. Nine of those areas were being examined yesterday using the shuttle's new laser-tipped extension to its robotic arm.

Astronauts were also preparing tools for the mission's first spacewalk due to take place today. In the first of three walks, Stephen Robinson and Soichi Noguchi will try out new repair techniques; replace a gyroscope, which helps steer the space station; and install a storage platform on the station.

NASA suspended future shuttle flights earlier this week after learning about the dislodgement of the big piece of foam insulation, which weighed less than a pound.

It was an alarming repeat of the problem that doomed Columbia in 2003, when a piece of foam knocked a hole in its left wing. The searing gases of re-entry melted the wing from the inside out, causing the spacecraft to disintegrate. All seven astronauts died.

Deputy shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said none of the newly installed wing sensors detected the small piece of foam which may have hit Discovery's wing.

NASA has run tests showing that if the foam did strike the wing, it would have exerted just one-tenth of the energy needed to cause worrisome damage.

If the astronauts do find a problem with the shuttle, however, they will consider untested repair techniques developed after the Columbia disaster, or have the astronauts stay on the space station until a rescue mission can be launched.

"We have always had the option of staying on the space station," Ms Collins said. "I don't think that is going to be the case."