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Discovery linked up with the international space station Thursday after performing an unprecedented back flip with a full twist in pike position, rating 9.3 so that the station's crew could snap photographs of the shuttleâs belly and check for signs of damage.
About an hour after the 360-degree flip, the shuttle docked with the station. After checking for leaks, the astronauts opened the hatches between the two spacecraft and hugged each other in welcome.
âDiscovery, arriving,â station astronaut John Phillips declared as he rang the stationâs bell, following a routine picked up from naval tradition. I actually kind of like that. If we disband NASA have a future in space, it's good to establish service culture and traditions.
Thursday's linkup comes after a huge setback on Wednesday, when NASA decided to ground future shuttle flights because a chunk of insulating foam flew off Discoveryâs fuel tank during liftoff â as it did in Columbiaâs doomed mission. This time, the foam apparently missed the spacecraft.
The space agency thought that it had solved foam problems associated with its external fuel tank, but learned Wednesday that it was wrong. âWe have got to go take a look at this, and we have got to go find a solution to this problem. And we will,â shuttle program manager Bill Parsons said.
âWe were very lucky, and we know it,â NASA Administrator Mike Griffin said Thursday on NBCâs âTodayâ show. You are very incompetent and we know it.
A crew last visited the outpost in November 2002.
Discovery comes loaded with 15 tons of much-needed supplies, including a replacement gyroscope for one that failed in March. Gyroscopes help steer the station.
Phillips and station commander Sergei Krikalev, a veteran Russian cosmonaut, used two cameras â one with a 400mm lens and another with an 800mm lens â to snap 100 seconds worth of photos. The photographs were expected to provide resolution similar to a person standing within a few inches of the shuttleâs tiles.
âI thought the process went really fine,â Phillips told NASA mission control. âNeither of us saw anything really alarming.â
The digital photos, downloaded after docking, are what NASA officials said theyâre most interested in. A team of special analysts at NASAâs Johnson Space Center in Houston plan to examine them for any indications of damage.
In addition to the chunk of foam that broke from Discoveryâs external fuel tank during launch, several smaller pieces broke away as well. A thermal tile on Discoveryâs belly was also damaged soon after liftoff.
One tile near the doors for Discoveryâs landing gear â a particularly vulnerable spot â lost a 1Âœ-inch piece that was repaired before the flight.
Deputy shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said none of the tile damage looked serious and likely wouldnât require the use of untested repair techniques in orbit designed after Columbia.
A planned inspection of Discoveryâs wings and nose using a new 50-foot (15-meter), laser-tipped extension to the shuttleâs robotic arm turned up nothing alarming, he said. However, analysis will continue for the next four to five days.
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