BREAKING NEWS: Foam Crack May Delay Discovery Launch

Editor's Note: An updated version of this story is here. Complete Shuttle Discovery coverage is here.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - A crack in the insulating foam of Shuttle Discovery's external tank discovered during a post-scrub inspection may delay Tuesday's third scheduled launch attempt, according to media partner Florida Today.

NASA's mission management team is meeting at this hour to discuss a range of options, including repairing the crack prior to launch or flying Discovery as-is. It remains uncertain if repairs of this nature can be accomplished at the launch pad or how long such repairs will take.

Gallery: Rare Space Shuttle Images
Shuttle Discovery: Complete Coverage
Great Space Quizzes: Space Shuttle Countdown
Great Space Quizzes: The Space Shuttle
Great Space Quizzes: Life in Orbit

Roger has been a Space.com correspondent since 2001, covering human spaceflight and military/intelligence space programs. He has witnessed close to 100 piloted spaceflight launches - from the July 1975 Saturn 1B launch of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project to the final launch of Shuttle Atlantis on STS-135 in July 2011. His live coverage of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster was cited as a key factor in Space.com receiving the 2003 Online Journalism Award for Breaking News. Prior to joining Space.com, Roger was Editor/Producer and space reporter for Florida Today’s pioneering 'Space Online' website. A Rhode Island native, Roger is a graduate of Roger Williams University, now semi-retired to the Lowcountry of South Carolina.