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Buckdodgers
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HOUSTON – NASA delayed the planned landing of space shuttle Atlantis by at least a day today after engineers spotted an object that may have accidentally flown out of its cargo bay.
Landing had been scheduled for Wednesday morning. But a poor weather forecast and concerns that something crucial floated out of the craft prompted the delay, space shuttle communicator Terry Virts told the crew.
"Big interest in whether we're going to be doing any robotics tomorrow," responded Atlantis commander Brent Jett, referring to using the shuttle's robotic arm to inspect the spacecraft.
NASA engineers think the object may have shook loose from the shuttle during the firing of jets in preparation for landing. NASA managers may order Atlantis' robotic arm to be taken out again for an inspection, and the space agency hasn't ruled out the possibility of having the crew return to the space station.
A Russian Soyuz TMA-9 capsule with an Iranian-American telecommunications entrepreneur, an astronaut and a cosmonaut was heading to the space station for a docking set for early Wednesday.
The Seattle Times: Nation & World: "UFO" delays space shuttle's return
The Martians are Coming!!!
:Ohno:
Landing had been scheduled for Wednesday morning. But a poor weather forecast and concerns that something crucial floated out of the craft prompted the delay, space shuttle communicator Terry Virts told the crew.
"Big interest in whether we're going to be doing any robotics tomorrow," responded Atlantis commander Brent Jett, referring to using the shuttle's robotic arm to inspect the spacecraft.
NASA engineers think the object may have shook loose from the shuttle during the firing of jets in preparation for landing. NASA managers may order Atlantis' robotic arm to be taken out again for an inspection, and the space agency hasn't ruled out the possibility of having the crew return to the space station.
A Russian Soyuz TMA-9 capsule with an Iranian-American telecommunications entrepreneur, an astronaut and a cosmonaut was heading to the space station for a docking set for early Wednesday.
The Seattle Times: Nation & World: "UFO" delays space shuttle's return
The Martians are Coming!!!
:Ohno:
