Discovery's seven astronauts have begun surveying the orbtier's critical heat shields, a standard procedure since the loss of Columbia in 2003. The crew has attached a 50-foot boom extension equipped with laser sensors and a television camera to the end of the shuttle's robotic arm.
The process begins with a scan of the reinforced carbon-carbon panels lining the edge of the starboard wing. It then moves to the orbiter's nose cap, and on to the port wing leading edge. Check out this interactive graphic by Florida Today's Dennis Lowe to see how an inspection is done.
Later, crews will check the Orbital Maneuvering System thrusters at the rear to the shuttle to make sure they're in good shape.
The crew will download images for analysis at NASA's Mission Control Center. Analysts are looking for any damage that could have occurred during launch from ice or foam shed by the shuttle's 15-story external tank, or any other debris.
A piece of "unexpected debris" prior to launch was apparently of no concern.
A bat that attached itself to the external tank was "probably still unexpected debris somewhere" after the launch, NASA Shuttle Launch Manager Mike Leinbach said.
We'll update this page as the inspection unfolds, and report any sign of damage found. But it could be a few days before NASA declares Discovery safe for reentry, or decides that a more detailed inspection is needed on flight day six.
Later this afternoon, NASA expects updated tracking information on a piece of orbiting debris that could force the International Space Station to maneuver out of the way as Discovery approaches for docking Tuesday.
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