Endeavour Crew, Teacher-Astronaut Primed for Possible Shuttle Fix

HOUSTON -- Astronauts aboard NASA's space shuttle Endeavour are prepared to repair a small gouge in their orbiter's tile-covered belly if required, but are confident the damage poses little risk to their safe return to Earth next week.

"It's not really a safety issue for us on board," shuttle commander Scott Kelly told reporters Tuesday in a series of interviews on NASA TV, adding that the chief concern is whether the damage could require a lengthy shuttle repair once Endeavour returns home.

Speaking from NASA's Destiny laboratory aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the spaceflyers -- including teacher-turned-astronaut Barbara Morgan -- said they were confident that ongoing analysis by engineers will chart the proper course to address Endeavour's dinged tiles.

NASA mission managers are expected to decide Wednesday whether to send spacewalkers underneath Endeavour to fill in the 3 1/2-inch by 2-inch (9-centimeter by 5-centimeter) divot in the black, heat-resistant tiles lining its belly. The gouge, caused by a baseball-sized piece of fuel tank debris about a minute after Endeavour's Aug. 8 launch, penetrated through a 1.12-inch (2.8-centimeter) thick tile to expose a slim section of heat-resistant felt covering the orbiter's aluminum skin.

In the crew's morning mail from Mission Control, flight controllers said that, if any repair is required, it would include coating the damaged tile with a black, heat-resistant paint and a goo-like ablative material. Such a fix, developed after the 2003 Columbia accident, would also call for two spacewalkers to ride Endeavour's 100-foot (30-meter) robotic arm and inspection boom to reach the damage site.

Kelly added that he and his six STS-118 crewmates have been focused on their 14-day mission to deliver cargo, spare parts and a new starboard side truss segment to the ISS. They spent much of Tuesday installing a new spare parts platform at the orbital laboratory.

"We've been really busy, we haven't had a lot of time to focus on it," Kelly said. "There's not a whole lot of concern about it on board right now."

Kelly added that astronauts aboard Endeavour and the ISS hoped to pause in their work for a short celebration of Caldwell's birthday, and plan to improvise a "cake" for the occasion out of a brownie.

Mission Control awoke Endeavour's crew early Tuesday with a rendition of "Happy Birthday, Tracy" performed by Caldwell's nieces and nephews. But aside from some knick-knacks, cards and well wishes, Caldwell said her space birthday was a busy one.

"Actually, I got a timeline with a whole list of tasks to do," Caldwell said with a smile of her present from Mission Control.

'Worth the wait'

Meanwhile, Morgan has adapted to life in space after a 22-year journey that began in 1985, when NASA selected her as the backup for New Hampshire high school teacher Christa McAuliffe during the agency's Teacher in Space program.

"I think I can speak for all of us to say it's definitely worth it," Morgan said the years-long training for herself and her crewmates. "We're enjoying the work very much. It's hard, it's challenging and it's a lot of fun."

A former schoolteacher from McCall, Idaho, Morgan trained alongside McAuliffe and the space shuttle Challenger crew before their ill-fated launch in January 1986. She returned to NASA in 1998 as a career astronaut and will speak to students at the Discovery Center of Idaho in Boise, later today.

"I've thought about Christa and the Challenger crew just about every day," Morgan said. "I hope they know that they're in our hearts."

So far, the most surprising thing about spaceflight has been how things drift away, Morgan said, adding that Endeavour's launch was much louder than she expected and that working in weightlessness is a joy.

"Especially after about three or four days on orbit, the floating is fantastic," Morgan said. "It's something you get used to and have a lot of fun with."

Morgan added that she and her family are not overly concerned about the Endeavour's gouged tile.

"My family has a lot of faith in the program, and they know it's important," Morgan said of her husband Clay and their two sons. "And we know everything is going to work out just fine."

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

• NEW VIDEO: Endeavour Shuttle Tile Damage
• VIDEO: Teaching the Future: Teacher-Astronaut Barbara Morgan
• Complete Space Shuttle Mission Coverage