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No shuttle repairs

HOUSTON: A gouge on space shuttle Endeavour’s belly does not need to be repaired in orbit, NASA has decided after several days of testing, analysis and deliberation. The decision came on Thursday night after a five-hour meeting of mission managers. They decided against any risky spacewalk repairs based on the overwhelming — but not unanimous — recommendations of hundreds of engineers. The massive amount of data they gathered indicated Endeavour would suffer no serious structural damage during next week’s re-entry. For several days, NASA had said crew safety was not at risk. The concern was that the heat of re-entry could weaken the shuttle’s aluminium frame at the damaged spot and result in lengthy post-flight repairs, but testing showed that would not be the case. Ultimately, managers decided they could not justify putting spacewalking astronauts at risk if the vehicle was in acceptable shape to make the journey home. A spacewalk earlier this week, cut short by an astronaut’s ripped glove, showed how hazardous even a relatively routine jaunt outside the international space station can be. — AP

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