Crew starts shuttle inspection while chasing Hubble
— -- The Atlantis astronauts inspected their ship for any signs of launch damage Tuesday as they raced after the Hubble Space Telescope on an especially perilous and bold repair mission.
Back on Earth, NASA continued prepping another space shuttle to rush to the astronauts' rescue if any serious damage is found. And over at the pad used by Atlantis, NASA discovered a surprising amount of damage from Monday's liftoff.
On their first full day in orbit, Atlantis' crew used a laser-tipped boom to look for damage during a survey that was expected to take 9½ hours, rather than the normal seven to eight hours.. Initial photos during the launch indicated that Atlantis looked fine, but the analysis was continuing.
The reason for the lengthier survey lies with the Atlantis's destination. Most shuttle flights head to the International Space Station, where the station crews helps inspect the shuttle's heat shield.
On a trip to Hubble, the shuttle doesn't get near the station, so the survey by the shuttle crew has been lengthened.
As the inspection got underway, the shuttle trailed the observatory by about 8,000 miles.
Shuttle Atlantis, a crew of seven astronauts aboard, roared off the launch pad in Cape Canaveral at 2:01 p.m. ET. The spacecraft's cargo hold carries instruments that will increase Hubble's powers of observation by up to 90 times. The shuttle also carries spare parts to help extend the life of the 19-year-old telescope to 2014 or later.
The sight of Atlantis blasting off was "bittersweet," said Edward Weiler, NASA's top science official. "I'm happy to see the launch, but I'm sad knowing it's the last shuttle repair mission to the Hubble Space Telescope."
NASA plans to retire the shuttle in 2010, leaving no way to send astronauts back to the Hubble for any further repair work.
Other key events:
• On Wednesday, Atlantis' robotic arm grabs the Hubble and sets it in the shuttle's cargo bay.
• On Thursday, two astronauts perform the first of five spacewalks in five days to upgrade and repair the Hubble.
