- Dec 14, 2000
- 68,143
- 10
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cnn
HOUSTON, Texas (AP) -- NASA delayed the planned landing of the space shuttle by at least a day Tuesday after engineers spotted an object that may have accidentally flown out of the space shuttle Atlantis' cargo bay.
Landing had been scheduled for Wednesday morning. But a poor weather forecast, and concerns that something crucial floated out of the space shuttle, prompted the delay, space shuttle communicator Terry Virts told the crew.
NASA engineers spotted the object at about 2:45 a.m EDT Tuesday with a video camera in the shuttle's cargo bay. (Watch the mystery object -- :56)
The object, which circled the Earth in the same orbit as the shuttle and is of undetermined size, probably came out of the shuttle's cargo bay because some jets had just been fired, shaking the orbiter, NASA spokesman Doug Peterson said.
"It's something that we didn't expect, but it's something that we're taking a real close look at," Peterson said.
Meanwhile, shuttle astronauts spent Tuesday packing, indulging in their surroundings and making sure their vehicle is ready for the ride home.
The Atlantis crew checked flight controls -- similar to those on an airplane -- and test fired small jets that are used to guide the shuttle. The commander and pilot used simulations to practice their landing skills.
They also participated in a rare conference call with two other spacecraft also currently in orbit.
"It's a little crowded in the sky this morning," said Jeff Williams, a resident of the international space station the shuttle undocked from on Sunday after delivering and installing a solar panel addition.
"We were wondering if we had to hire some more air traffic controllers for the increased traffic up here," responded Michael Lopez-Alegria from the Russian Soyuz capsule that launched from Kazakhstan on Monday. He's part of the team that will be taking over from Williams' crew.
During the 10-minute conversation, while the space station and shuttle hovered over Australia and the capsule over the Black Sea, the astronauts reminisced about their time together, the times to come and the latest drama in the cosmos.
HOUSTON, Texas (AP) -- NASA delayed the planned landing of the space shuttle by at least a day Tuesday after engineers spotted an object that may have accidentally flown out of the space shuttle Atlantis' cargo bay.
Landing had been scheduled for Wednesday morning. But a poor weather forecast, and concerns that something crucial floated out of the space shuttle, prompted the delay, space shuttle communicator Terry Virts told the crew.
NASA engineers spotted the object at about 2:45 a.m EDT Tuesday with a video camera in the shuttle's cargo bay. (Watch the mystery object -- :56)
The object, which circled the Earth in the same orbit as the shuttle and is of undetermined size, probably came out of the shuttle's cargo bay because some jets had just been fired, shaking the orbiter, NASA spokesman Doug Peterson said.
"It's something that we didn't expect, but it's something that we're taking a real close look at," Peterson said.
Meanwhile, shuttle astronauts spent Tuesday packing, indulging in their surroundings and making sure their vehicle is ready for the ride home.
The Atlantis crew checked flight controls -- similar to those on an airplane -- and test fired small jets that are used to guide the shuttle. The commander and pilot used simulations to practice their landing skills.
They also participated in a rare conference call with two other spacecraft also currently in orbit.
"It's a little crowded in the sky this morning," said Jeff Williams, a resident of the international space station the shuttle undocked from on Sunday after delivering and installing a solar panel addition.
"We were wondering if we had to hire some more air traffic controllers for the increased traffic up here," responded Michael Lopez-Alegria from the Russian Soyuz capsule that launched from Kazakhstan on Monday. He's part of the team that will be taking over from Williams' crew.
During the 10-minute conversation, while the space station and shuttle hovered over Australia and the capsule over the Black Sea, the astronauts reminisced about their time together, the times to come and the latest drama in the cosmos.
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