Shuttle Heat Shield Survey Stalled By Boom Trouble

The Atlantis astronauts are struggling to start up a crucial heat shield survey that has been stalled by trouble with the shuttle's inspection boom.

Now running about two hours behind schedule, the astronauts are working with Mission Control to determine why two laser sensors and a television camera on the end of the boom will not focus properly. Troubleshooting is continuing and flight controllers believe they can figure out a workaround.

NASA in the wake of the 2003 Columbia accident developed the boom-and-sensor package to give astronauts a means of detect any damage that might have been done to vulnerable shuttle heat shield components. The 50-foot boom latches on to the end of the shuttle's equally lengthy robot arm, providing enough reach to inspect the shuttle's 44 composite carbon wing panels as well as its nose cap.

The condition of the thermal tiles on the underside of the orbiter is documented by camera-wielding astronauts on the International Space Station during an eight-minute back flip maneuver the shuttle now does before final approach to the outpost. The maneuver pointed the belly of the shuttle at the station. High-resolution cameras are then used to capture images of the silica tiles.

The inspection had been slated to begin about 8:30 a.m. It typically takes five or six hours to complete.

The astronauts today also are conducting science experiments and checking out the spacesuits that will be worn during three spacewalks planned for the mission.

IMAGE NOTE: Click to enlarge the NASA TV screen grab of the inspection boom on the end of Atlantis' robot arm. Trouble with the sensor package at its tip is holding up a now-standard heat shield inspection on the second day of shuttle flights.