(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-02-10 14:59

 

The space shuttle Atlantis is shown docked to the Harmony module of the International Space Station with the earth in the background in this view from NASA TV February 9, 2008. [Agencies]

NASA said Schlegel's shuttle crewmate, American Stanley Love, would take his place. Love trained for the work as a backup, just in case, and already was assigned to the mission's third spacewalk, along with Walheim.

It was a rare and unsettling change in plans for NASA, which typically prepares for every aspect of a shuttle mission - particularly spacewalks - for months and even years.

The last time a shuttle astronaut's health drastically affected flight operations was in 1990; Atlantis' commander caught a cold, and the launch had to be delayed. And in 1982, an astronaut's space motion sickness - a common affliction - delayed the first shuttle spacewalk, which ultimately was canceled because of suit problems.

The delay in installing Columbus and carrying out the first spacewalk prompted NASA to add a 12th day to the mission. Yet another day could be added; NASA had hoped to spend an extra day at the space station to help set up Columbus. Atlantis will remain at the orbiting complex until at least next weekend.

NASA, meanwhile, was analyzing a small tear in one of Atlantis' thermal blankets.

Before pulling up to the space station, Atlantis did a 360-degree backflip so the crew aboard the complex could photograph the shuttle's thermal shielding. Nearly 300 photos were beamed back to Earth so engineers could look for any signs of launch damage.

Mission Control requested extra pictures of the torn thermal blanket on Atlantis' right orbital maneuvering system pod, back near the tail. The small tear, along a seam, occurred during Thursday's launch and was discovered Friday, said flight director Mike Sarafin.

Engineers were trying to ascertain whether the tear posed a hazard for re-entry at flight's end. The exact size of the peeled-up section was unknown, but it appeared to be smaller and less worrisome than one that required spacewalking repairs last June. Coincidentally, that tear was in a blanket on Atlantis' left orbital maneuvering system pod.

"It's probably not that big of an issue, but we're off looking at it," Sarafin said.

The photos of the shuttle's thermal shielding tiles are standard procedure, ever since the destruction of Columbia in 2003. Columbia's wing was gashed at liftoff by a chunk of fuel-tank insulating foam. Only a small amount of foam is believed to have come off Atlantis' tank, and none of it appeared to seriously damage the shuttle.

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