Endeavour Astronauts to Scan Shuttle Heat Shield

Astronauts aboard NASA's space shuttle Endeavour will scan their orbiter's vital heat shield today for any signs of damage following their successful Wednesday launch.

Commanded by veteran shuttle flyer Scott Kelly, Endeavour's seven STS-118 astronauts will spend their first full day in orbit performing a meticulous survey of the shuttle's wing edges and nose cap.

"The procedures for this have all been automated over the last couple of missions," said Matt Abbott, NASA's lead shuttle flight for Endeavour's STS-118 flight, of the inspection. "We've really evolved into a very efficient and effective way of scanning for any damage due to the ascent environment."

Endeavour's STS-118 crew launched late Wednesday on a construction mission to the International Space Station. Kelly and his crewmates are hauling some 5,000 pounds (2,267 kilograms) of cargo, spare parts and a new addition to the station's starboard-side truss to the orbital laboratory.

An up-close look

NASA analysts will study the images and data from today's heat shield scan to determine the health of Endeavour's heat-resistant carbon composite panels and tiles. The survey is a now-standard activity for space shuttle crews since NASA returned its orbiter fleet to flight after the 2003 Columbia accident.

STS-118 mission specialists Tracy Caldwell and Rick Mastracchio are expected to begin today's survey at about 12:21 p.m. EDT (1621 GMT) using Endeavour's robotic arm and a 50-foot (15-meter) extension boom tipped with sensors.

"We use the robotic arm with that boom on the end of it and basically look at the whole leading edge of the wings and the nose ? to make sure that we haven't taken any kind of hits of any sort that would cause us a problem for entry, like on Columbia," STS-118 mission specialist Barbara Morgan, a teacher-turned-astronaut who will also aid in the survey. "There are quite a few of us doing this job."

Shuttle pilot Charlie Hobaugh will also aid in the heat shield scan, which is expected to run about six hours, mission managers have said. If any areas of concern are found in the survey, the shuttle crew has time set aside on Sunday for a follow-up inspection, they added.

Cameras mounted to Endeavour's external tank caught between four and five small pieces of debris falling away form the orbiter after its late Wednesday liftoff, but late in the flight when the particles would not fly fast enough to cause significant damage, NASA associate administrator Bill Gerstenmaier said after the launch.

NASA has kept a close watch on any debris shed during shuttle launches since 2003, when a chunk of fuel tank insulation foam fell free during the launch of Columbia and breached the orbiter's left wing-mounted heat shield. The resulting damaged led the loss of the orbiter and its seven-astronaut crew.

Since then, NASA has redesigned shuttle fuel tanks to reduce the amount of foam debris during liftoff and instituted in-flight inspections to verify the integrity of orbiter heat shields.

NASA is broadcasting Endeavour's STS-118 mission live on NASA TV. Click here for mission updates and SPACE.com's NASA TV feed.

• VIDEO: Teaching the Future: Teacher-Astronaut Barbara Morgan
• VIDEO: Endeavour's STS-118 Mission Profile
• Complete Space Shuttle Mission Coverage