Tool Drops At Pad, NASA Checks For Shuttle Damage
CAPE CANAVERAL (CBS4) – Oops! A NASA technician with a case of butter fingers has officials checking the space shuttle Discovery to see if it was damaged by a dropped tool.
A NASA spokeswoman said Wednesday that a measuring gauge came apart. The tool may have struck Discovery's external fuel tank as it fell. The mishap occurred Tuesday night during repair work.
Spokeswoman Candrea Thomas says the metal gauge is small. It was tethered properly to a worker, but came apart and some pieces fell.
This week, workers are replacing a shuttle seal to prevent another hydrogen gas leak. Discovery's first launch attempt in November was scrubbed after cracks were found on support beams on the giant external fuel tank.
Discovery and its six astronauts are targeted to launch on the STS-133 mission on Feb. 24. Discovery will haul a load of new tools and spare supplies to the International Space Station.
The space shuttle fleet will be retired after three more flights this year to the International Space Station. These remaining missions will focus on outfitting the International Space Station with spare parts to last it well beyond the shuttle era.
After the shuttles are grounded, Russian Soyuz spacecraft and international unmanned cargo vessels will deliver crew and supplies to the orbiting outpost.
