During their 11 days in space, Atlantis' astronauts are to deliver a 35,000-pound (15,876 kilograms) addition to the international space station, the heaviest ever, along with a new pair of solar arrays. Crew members also plan to unfurl the solar arrays, fold up an old pair and conduct at least three spacewalks.
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| NASA postpones shuttle launch after hail storm pelts Atlantis' external fuel tank |
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 BREAKING NEWS |
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The hail Monday was up to 2 inches (5.1 centimeters) in diameter; the National Weather Service considers three-quarters-inch (1.9 centimeter) hail to be severe, said David Sharp, a meteorologist with the weather service.
"It only occurred in one location, and that was NASA's Kennedy Space Center complex," Sharp said.
In 1999, hail from a storm made 650 dings in space shuttle Discovery's external tank, forcing NASA to delay a launch and return the spacecraft to the Vehicle Assembly Building. In 1995, space shuttle Discovery was sent back to the Vehicle Assembly Building because of fuel-tank damage caused by a pair of woodpeckers that drilled about 200 holes in the rust-colored foam insulation, apparently in an attempt to roost and build nests.
Hail also hit the external tank of Atlantis in 1990, causing minor damage.
The insulating foam on the external tank is of special concern to NASA since foam flew off space shuttle Columbia during liftoff in 2003 and struck the orbiter. The damage allowed fiery gases to penetrate Columbia during re-entry, breaking up the craft and killing its seven astronauts, reports AP.
NASA redesigned the external tank, removing large amounts of foam, before last year's three successful shuttle missions. The space agency plans another design change to the tank before the shuttle program ends in 2010.
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