Shuttle managers are considering whether to have astronauts repair a damaged tile on the underside of the shuttle Endeavour after images taken on Sunday revealed the gash to be deeper than previously thought. The focused inspection of the damage, performed Sunday, revealed that the gouge goes almost all the way through the tile, about three centimeters thick. Officials don’t believe that the damage poses a risk to the safety of the shuttle crew upon reentry, but are considering options to repair the gash by adding a spacewalk later in the mission.
NASA extended the shuttle’s stay at the ISS by three days, to August 20; the additional time was made possible by a station-to-shuttle power transfer system that allows the shuttle to conserve the use of its own fuel cells to power the orbiter. The two-week flight now targets a landing at Kennedy Space Center on August 22.
NASA – Space Shuttle