NASA conducts tests to assess shuttle damage

Nasa conducted a swift series of tests on the ground to determine whether spacewalking astronauts need to fix a deep gouge in Endeavour’s belly for re-entry, and assembled a special team to weigh the repair options.

The gouge is relatively small, but part of it penetrates through the protective thermal tiles, leaving just a thin layer of coated felt over the space shuttle’s aluminium frame to keep out the more than 2,000-degree heat of re-entry. The exposed area is one inch long and less than a quarter-inch wide.