Again, this points up the need for robotic space missions,
Just think what would have happened if it had been the wing
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NEW YORK (AP) -- NASA workers inspecting space shuttle Atlantis this
week discovered that a tiny piece of space debris had punched a hole in
a radiator panel during the shuttle's recent mission, but officials
said the damage never endangered the crew.
The debris struck a panel that extends from payload bay doors on the
shuttle. It wasn't clear exactly what the object was, but it did not
hit the sensitive tiles or thermal panels that help protect the shuttle
when it returns to Earth.
The impact left a hole about one-tenth of an inch in diameter, NASA
reported Thursday on its Web site.
The damage "didn't endanger the spacecraft or the crew, nor did it
affect mission operations," NASA said. The radiators were brought
inside the bay before the shuttle's landing last month, so the damaged
area did not encounter searing heat during re-entry through Earth's
atmosphere.
In 2003, space shuttle Columbia broke apart during re-entry when
superheated gases entered a hole in the shuttle's wing. A breakaway
chunk of hard foam from Columbia's external fuel tank had punctured
that wing during liftoff. After the Columbia disaster, NASA began
intense inspections of the shuttle, both by camera during liftoff and
by the astronauts once in space.
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