The space shuttle Atlantis sustained tile damage when it lifted off on Monday, according to NASA officials.
“As we were going through the surveys we did see probably about 21 inches in all … four tiles with some dings in them,” Tony Ceccacci told reporters.
“To me, I’m not the tile expert, but they looked very minor.”
Experts will analyze the damage, which is mainly on the wing. The “event” seems to have occurred about 103 seconds after launch.
NASA had canceled an Atlantis flight in 2004 because the trip was thought to be too risky following the 2003 Columbia disaster, in which seven astronauts were killed.
Ironically, the Columbia tragedy was caused by debris that punched a hole in the wing during liftoff.
The space shuttle Endeavour is on standby at the Kennedy Space Center just in case NASA needs to rescue the Atlantis crew members during their mission.
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