May 12, 2009 6:29 pm US/Eastern
Shuttle Looks For Damage As It Meets With Hubble
BALTIMORE (WJZ) ―
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The space shuttle Atlantis is spending Tuesday chasing down the Hubble Space Telescope.
The space shuttle Atlantis is spending Tuesday chasing down the Hubble Space Telescope.
It's the last mission to Hubble and, as
Alex DeMetrick reports, while the shuttle closes in, it's also on the lookout for damage.
When Atlantis launched Monday, a lot of attention was paid to what fell off along the way. But shuttles also dodge what's already up there in orbit.
"Absolutely, yes. NASA pretty much knows where all the dangerous debris is when they launch and if there's a problem or concern, they'll either delay it, maneuver it or do something to get around it," said Dr. Marshall Kaplan.
Dr. Kaplan heads up the Hopkins Applied Physics Lab's study of space debris. They consider anything four inches or larger big. There are thousands of working and dead satellites and the rocket parts that got them there.
While Atlantis maneuvers to rendezvous with Hubble, it's already checking for any damage. When it reaches the telescope, it will be working 350 miles up, where there is a lot of space junk. Most of it is tiny to microscopic chips of paint.
During space walks to upgrade the Hubble, suits will offer enough protection.
The check done by astronauts did reveal a series of nicks to four or five thermal tiles. It's believed it happened during the launch. At this point, it is not considered serious.
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