Shuttle given go-ahead for return
Nasa cleared Endeavour today for its return to Earth, bringing the space shuttle home a day early because of hurricane worries that later evaporated.
Endeavour is aiming for a touchdown tomorrow afternoon, as long as the crosswind at the landing strip is not too strong.
“Hopefully, we’ll have acceptable weather and it will be a really good day,” commander Scott Kelly radioed from the shuttle.
Mission managers gave Kelly the go-ahead after engineers finished evaluating the latest laser images of the shuttle’s wings and nose and concluded there were no holes or cracks from micrometeorites or space junk.
The astronauts inspected the especially vulnerable areas yesterday, after undocking from the international space station.
Nasa reiterated today that the unrepaired gouge in Endeavour’s belly will pose no danger to the shuttle or its seven astronauts during the hour-long descent.
A week of thermal analyses and tests also indicated that no lengthy postflight repairs should be required either, said flight director Steve Stich.
