NASA will need waiver for Hubble flight

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope repair crew faces a serious chance of a catastrophic space debris strike during a mission next month -- one so high the agency's top executives will have to approve the flight.

That's the word from reporter Todd Halvorson, covering the preflight briefings at the Johnson Space Center today in Houston.

NASA's top management will have to give their OK to waive a flight rule to allow the mission to go forward.

You can get a sneak preview of Todd's story for tomorrow's newspaper by clicking here.
Image note: Damage from debris has made marks like this in shuttle glass and other components. This damage was from a past flight of Atlantis.