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Astronauts Inspect Space Shuttle in Case of Damage By Marcia Dunn November 17, 2009 11:27AM NASA engineers said a quick look at the images from Monday'sshuttle launch shows nothing to be worried about. The inspection will provide additional data, as will pictures taken right before Wednesday's docking. The space station residents will take a few hundred close digital photos as Atlantis pulls up and performs a somersault.   Related Topics NASA Space Shuttle Atlantis Space Station JPL Twitter Latest News U.S. Losing in Clean-Tech Innovation Endeavour Blasts Off on Night Flight Ancient Dinosaur Had Colorful Stripes Pluto Shows Hubble Its True Colors Exercise May Not Boost Endurance Space shuttle Atlantis' astronauts scoured their ship Tuesday for any signs of launch damage while pursuing the International Space Station. Atlantis and its crew of six will hook up with the space station Wednesday. After waking to their first full day in orbit, the astronauts pulled out a 100-foot, laser-tipped inspection boom to check the shuttle's thermal shielding, routine work before arriving at the space station. The right wing was scanned first. It was a long, laborious job that was expected to last well into the afternoon. NASA said a quick look at the images from Monday's launch shows nothing to be worried about. The inspection will provide additional data , as will pictures taken right before Wednesday's docking. The space station residents will take a few hundred close digital photos as Atlantis pulls up and performs a somersault. Engineers will pore over all the information to ascertain whether Atlantis is intact and able to make a safe descent, when it comes time to return home at the end of next week. The space agency has been extra cautious since the Columbia disaster nearly seven years ago. The left wing was punctured by a big chunk of foam insulation that came off the fuel tank at liftoff, causing the shuttle to break apart during re-entry. All seven astronauts were killed. Officials believe three small foam pieces peeled away from Atlantis' tank, but it happened too many minutes after liftoff to pose any danger. Atlantis is delivering big spare parts to the space station -- nearly 15 tons' worth. It's an 11-day flight, which will keep the crew in orbit over Thanksgiving. "Congratulations on a beautiful, flawless launch, Atlantis!" Mission Control told the crew in a wake-up message. "Now the fun begins."   © 2010 Associated Press/AP Online under contract with YellowBrix. All rights reserved.   Tell Us What You Think Your Comment: Also Visit: iPad Info Center Billions of Bytes Mobile Device Now Apple Info Center TopTechWire.com Advertisement  Space 1.   Endeavour Blasts Off on Night Flight 2.   Pluto Shows Hubble Its True Colors 3.   A Bay Window for the Space Station 4.   Space Rock Spurs Earthly Dispute 5.   Fly Me To the Moon in a Space Taxi U.S. Space Program: Final Frontier? A Jetsons-like future seems unlikely. Average Rating: Good Night Moon, Hello Rockets Dramatic rocketry changes mandated. Average Rating: Sorry NASA, Scratch That Moon Plan Obama sends agency in new direction. Average Rating:

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