Acknowledges Some Foam Was Lost During Launch

During a post-launch briefing Saturday, NASA shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale said Atlantis appears to have come through launch in good shape and unscathed. Hale's announcement follows analysis of imagery of the shuttle's climb into space provided by cameras on the ground around Kennedy Space Center and mounted onboard the vehicle.

Hale even went so far as to apologize for bringing no images to the news conference. "There's just nothing to look at," said an obviously pleased Hale.

Hale did acknowledge that five objects believed to be foam and ice harmlessly released from the space shuttle beginning at approximately four minutes into Atlantis' flight -- well past the 2 1/2 "critical" phase of the launch cycle, during which time the atmosphere is thick enough to send debris careening towards the orbiter. Hale added that due to the thinness of the atmosphere and other factors, the debris didn't have anywhere near the velocity needed to cause damage to the orbiter.

More detailed analysis of the condition of the orbiter will come in the next three days, as engineers continue to pore over images taken from cameras mounted on the shuttle's external fuel tank. Atlantis will also perform a "backflip" as it approaches the International Space Station Monday, so cameras on the station can also capture images of the shuttle's fragile tile heat shield. The shuttle Discovery performed a similar maneuver in July.

As Aero-News reported in Real Time, Atlantis lifted off from Kennedy Space Center and charged into the midday Florida sky Saturday, on a mission to boost power on the International Space Station. The launch was on time, with liftoff at 11:15 am EDT.

Over the 11-day mission, the six-member crew will perform three spacewalks to install the P3/P4 integrated truss and solar arrays on the station, doubling the current power-generating capability of the orbiting outpost.

FMI: www.nasa.gov