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That can't be! I wonder what they are. I hope of course it's no damage on the shuttle itself, but currently NASA says there is no indication for something like that:
I think these objects are either space aliens or flying tinfoil hats
HOUSTON, Texas (AP) -- NASA cleared space shuttle Atlantis for a Thursday landing after finding that the orbiter appeared undamaged and concluding the discovery of unexplained space debris did not pose a serious problem.
Landing was set for Thursday morning at 6:21 a.m. ET at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Atlantis' six astronauts completed two inspections of the space shuttle Wednesday to make sure it wasn't damaged from the mysterious objects found floating outside the spacecraft. (Watch the mystery object -- :56)
"Nothing was found to be missing or damaged," said Wayne Hale, space shuttle program manager. "So we feel very confident that we're in for a very good landing opportunity."
Earlier Wednesday, Atlantis commander Brent Jett described three objects as two rings and a piece of foil. He told Mission Control the first object, about 100 feet from the shuttle, was "a reflective cloth ... It's not a solid metal structure."
NASA officials thought the debris may have come from the shuttle's cargo bay.
"Typically, when we open the payload doors on the first day of flight, we will see objects," landing flight director Steve Stich said. "It's a little bit unusual to see objects maybe this late in the mission."
Before the postponement Tuesday, Atlantis had been scheduled to touch down just before daybreak Wednesday, when the weather forecast wasn't favorable for landing anyway.
NASA managers didn't see anything that concerned them during the initial inspection using the shuttle's robotic arm. But they decided to go ahead with another inspection using a boom as an extra safety precaution.
The boom, which is attached to the shuttle's 50-foot robotic arm and has cameras and sensors at its end, can look at hard-to-reach places.
The first object sighted Tuesday morning appeared to drift away when landing systems were put through a normal but bumpy trial run.
Worry about whether it came from a crucial part of Atlantis was enough to make NASA postpone the landing. NASA officials said their best guess was that the object was a plastic filler placed in between thermal tiles which protect the shuttle from blasting heat.
But after being unable to determine what the object was Tuesday, NASA managers opted to spend early Wednesday making sure the shuttle was in good shape instead of concentrating on solving the mystery.
Heat shield crucial
The engineers' main concern was the status of the all-important heat shield, because a damaged shuttle skin led to the 2003 demise of the shuttle Columbia.
"We are going to verify that our critical heat shield is in good shape for entry to the best of our ability," shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said.
A second mystery object was spotted midday Tuesday and photographed by astronaut Dan Burbank. Jett said the object looked like a picture hanging clip. But it may be a garbage bag, which would unlikely be a damage risk, but the issue will be moot if the heat shield looks good, Hale said.
"So far we do not know the identity of the two things that floated away yesterday," Houston spacecraft communicator Hans Schlegel told Atlantis Tuesday night. "Today we want you to survey the vehicle to make sure it's ready for entry. Last night we already surveyed from ground."
Mission controllers also used cameras at the end of the robot arm to take pictures around the payload bay while astronauts slept on Tuesday.
Landing was set for Thursday morning at 6:21 a.m. ET at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Atlantis' six astronauts completed two inspections of the space shuttle Wednesday to make sure it wasn't damaged from the mysterious objects found floating outside the spacecraft. (Watch the mystery object -- :56)
"Nothing was found to be missing or damaged," said Wayne Hale, space shuttle program manager. "So we feel very confident that we're in for a very good landing opportunity."
Earlier Wednesday, Atlantis commander Brent Jett described three objects as two rings and a piece of foil. He told Mission Control the first object, about 100 feet from the shuttle, was "a reflective cloth ... It's not a solid metal structure."
NASA officials thought the debris may have come from the shuttle's cargo bay.
"Typically, when we open the payload doors on the first day of flight, we will see objects," landing flight director Steve Stich said. "It's a little bit unusual to see objects maybe this late in the mission."
Before the postponement Tuesday, Atlantis had been scheduled to touch down just before daybreak Wednesday, when the weather forecast wasn't favorable for landing anyway.
NASA managers didn't see anything that concerned them during the initial inspection using the shuttle's robotic arm. But they decided to go ahead with another inspection using a boom as an extra safety precaution.
The boom, which is attached to the shuttle's 50-foot robotic arm and has cameras and sensors at its end, can look at hard-to-reach places.
The first object sighted Tuesday morning appeared to drift away when landing systems were put through a normal but bumpy trial run.
Worry about whether it came from a crucial part of Atlantis was enough to make NASA postpone the landing. NASA officials said their best guess was that the object was a plastic filler placed in between thermal tiles which protect the shuttle from blasting heat.
But after being unable to determine what the object was Tuesday, NASA managers opted to spend early Wednesday making sure the shuttle was in good shape instead of concentrating on solving the mystery.
Heat shield crucial
The engineers' main concern was the status of the all-important heat shield, because a damaged shuttle skin led to the 2003 demise of the shuttle Columbia.
"We are going to verify that our critical heat shield is in good shape for entry to the best of our ability," shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said.
A second mystery object was spotted midday Tuesday and photographed by astronaut Dan Burbank. Jett said the object looked like a picture hanging clip. But it may be a garbage bag, which would unlikely be a damage risk, but the issue will be moot if the heat shield looks good, Hale said.
"So far we do not know the identity of the two things that floated away yesterday," Houston spacecraft communicator Hans Schlegel told Atlantis Tuesday night. "Today we want you to survey the vehicle to make sure it's ready for entry. Last night we already surveyed from ground."
Mission controllers also used cameras at the end of the robot arm to take pictures around the payload bay while astronauts slept on Tuesday.
I think these objects are either space aliens or flying tinfoil hats
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