Shuttle crew assess damage amid fears over return leg

THE crew of the space shuttle Endeavour unpacked their ship’s robot arm yesterday, latched on an extension to double its length and deployed it beneath the spaceship to image heat shield damage that occurred during their launch last week.

NASA believes the damage is minor, but leaves little to chance since losing Columbia in 2003 from a similar incident.

The shuttle’s design allows some insulation from its fuel tank to fall on the orbiter during launch.