Tiles tested in a supersonic arc-jet facility were damaged, but the aluminium below the damaged area got no hotter than 330 degrees, which is safe for the crew and would cause no damage to Endeavour on re-entry.
NASA's Mission Management Team will meet at 4 p.m. EDT today, two hours later than planned, as engineers discuss whether to order a complex repair to a ding in Endeavour's heat shield.
A decision, however, is expected late today. No repair seems to be the favored choice.
"The trending tends to be toward performance of the regularly scheduled EVA," said NASA commentator Rob Navias.
Capsule Communicator Steve Robinson told Endeavour Commander Scott Kelly "there's a reasonable chance of going with a nominal EVA 4, so you may want to think about delaying the actual hardware part of that tool gather as long as you're comfortable."
Engineers moved the fourth spacewalk from Friday to Saturday. If the repair isn't ordered, that spacewalk will include installation of two antennas and removal of one, installation of a stowage stand for the shuttle's orbiter boom sensor system and other tasks.
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