Astronauts inspect shuttle's heat shield for damage

Astronauts today gave the space shuttle a four-and-a-half hour inspection using cameras on the orbiter’s robotic arm early to see if its heat shield was damaged by a mysterious object that apparently floated off the spacecraft.

Nasa engineers began examining the images to decide whether they needed a more in-depth inspection using a 50ft boom that has sensors and cameras attached to its end. The boom is attached to the shuttle’s 50ft robotic arm and can look at hard-to-reach places.