NASA Says Atlantis' Heat Shield Is Safe
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By MIKE SCHNEIDER CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Atlantis' heat shield is safe enough for the shuttle to return to Earth, mission managers decided Wednesday, a day before the space shuttle was planned to land in Florida. A forecast for thunderstorms appeared to be the main obstacle for its return.
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NASA gave the green light Monday night for a Fourth of July shuttle liftoff despite worries about a piece of foam that popped off Discovery&#039;s external fuel tank while the spacecraft sat on the launch pad.
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The US space agency, NASA, says work continues on safety improvements on the space shuttle design in anticipation of the shuttle&#39;s return to flight in 2005.
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By Seth Borenstein Associated Press  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- With a 4-inch gap in the space shuttle Atlantis' heat-protecting blanket not appearing to be an urgent problem on Saturday, the crew readied themselves for what NASA called a delicate ballet with the international space station.
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With a 4-inch gap in the space shuttle Atlantis' heat-protecting blanket not appearing to be an urgent problem on Saturday, the crew readied themselves for what NASA called a delicate ballet with the international space station.
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By SETH BORENSTEIN HOUSTON - The orbiting Discovery crew, en route Sunday to rewire the international space station, first had to make sure the shuttle's heat shield wasn't damaged during liftoff.
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By JUAN A. LOZANO HOUSTON - As space shuttle Atlantis crew members continued their return trip to Earth on Wednesday, they waited for results of a final inspection of the spacecraft to make sure its heat shield was in good shape.
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NASA clears shuttle Atlantis to land next week   WASHINGTON, June 16 (Xinhua) -- NASA's Mission Control Center told the Atlantis crew Saturday that space shuttle's thermal protection system is cleared for re-entry.   The astronauts got "the good news" about 11:20 a.m.
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The space shuttle appeared to have made the jump into orbit without any significant damage to its delicate heat shield.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida  - The space shuttle Atlantis and its hail-scarred fuel tank escaped the worst of severe weather that socked Central Florida overnight and now faces an even rosier forecast for liftoff on Friday, NASA officials said.
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By Mike Schneider  HOUSTON - Atlantis was cleared Saturday to return to Earth this coming week after the space shuttle's heat shield was judged capable of surviving the intense heat of re-entry, and a U.S. astronaut reached a milestone with the longest single spaceflight by any woman.
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By RASHA MADKOUR  HOUSTON - The orbiting Discovery crew started the meticulous inspection of the shuttle's heat shield on Sunday, looking for any possible damage from liftoff.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida  - NASA cleared space   shuttle Atlantis to return to Earth on Thursday, confident that   unidentified objects spotted floating near the spaceship did   not result from damage to its heat shield or other critical   equipment.
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By MIKE SCHNEIDER HOUSTON - Atlantis was cleared Saturday to return to Earth this coming week after the space shuttle's heat shield was judged capable of surviving the intense heat of re-entry, and a U.S. astronaut reached a milestone with the longest single spaceflight by any woman.
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HOUSTON -- NASA engineers are conducting a series of tests to determine how best to repair a torn heat-resistant blanket on the space shuttle Atlantis.
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By MIKE SCHNEIDER  CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA managers said they plan to land the space shuttle Atlantis safely Friday, but the weather would determine the time and location.
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Nasa's Atlantis shuttle touches down safely in Florida, ending a twelve-day mission to the space station.