STS-123: Shuttle Endeavour

[Locknar]

The press tends to circle like vultures over the first two or three briefings looking for problems to report, and if there aren't any it seems like they ignore the bulk of the mission.

You mean kind of like this mission, after NASA (so far) appears unconcerned about the one nose strike....coverage for STS-123 is almost zippo; especially given all the "Monster" headline hype prior to the mission.

 

[Wolverine]

I think this nails it.

 

[Capsid]

I don't think they'd need to. The shuttle crew has the ability to do minor repairs, and they're usually the go-to guys in such instances.

They've already performed a thorough exterior scan, including the nose. Even without the benefit of the ISS photography the sensors packed on the shuttle's orbital boom can detect damage or dings as small as 1/10" (~2.5mm).

On the fourth spacewalk, one of the mission objectives is to test the T-RAD system they developed a while back, in advance of the final Hubble servicing mission.

An astronaut (Piers Sellers) "dropped" a spatula on STS-121 whilst testing the repair filler.

 

[Wolverine]

Thankfully there's a contingency plan.

 

[Locknar]

So when do they launch their attack on Drax and the Moonraker space station?

Anyway...reports continue to look positive, shuttle is all docked, things are being unloaded, (so far) no damage to the tiles has been noticed.

 

[Locknar]

STS-123 turned out to be one of the better missions...well done!