Officials Optimistic About Space Shuttle's Condition

Aug. 14, 2007 — -- After conducting extraordinary high-tech 3-D scans of the 32,000 heat tiles on the Space Shuttle Endeavour, officials now seem far more optimistic about both the condition of the shuttle and the safety of the crew.

But NASA says it has not decided whether astronauts will need to make a risky spacewalk to repair several of the gouged tiles that were damaged during last week's launch.

"This damage does not meet the criteria of … we think that astronauts are in jeopardy, that is not true," said NASA manager John Shannon. "I don't know if I have to go fix this at all."

Several pieces of foam flew off a fuel tank and at least one penetrated two protective tiles when it hit the shuttle's right wing. But the underside of the wing has to be able to survive more than 2,000 degrees during re-entry.

If they decide to repair the damage while the shuttle is docked to the International Space Station, the astronauts have been trained to use a variety of solutions, including spreading putty and using special caulk guns.

But the risk of doing this on orbit comes when you place a spacewalking astronaut, loaded down with sharp tools in a bulky suit, and strap him on top of a 100-foot robotic arm.

"Obviously any of those things dinging into the tile underneath potentially could damage the tile," said flight director Paul Boehm.

The shuttle crew has a 68-day food supply on board and the space station now is generating so much solar power that the astronauts easily could stay in space if it became necessary to send a rescue shuttle in October.

But officials said this is nothing more than a possible repair operation and mission control said it is up to the task.

"This is not a catastrophic loss of orbiter case at all," Shannon said. "This is a case where you want to do the prudent thing."

The news has reassured family members, including Clay Morgan, the husband of teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan.

"I'm pretty reassured," he said on today's "Good Morning America." "I think the thing that they are looking at, they are not worried about the crew that they are worried about the spacecraft."

Clay has supported his wife in her 21-year-old quest to reach the stars. In January 1986, Barbara was selected as the backup to teacher Christa McAuliffe for the Shuttle Challenger. The Challenger broke apart during its launch and all seven crew members died.