Sky News Headline; says: 'A gash in space shuttle Endeavour's heat shield appears to be a minor problem and is unlikely to need repair, according to NASA. The space agency had thought it might need to be patched up by spacewalking astronauts to ensure the shuttle's safe return to Earth. A grapefruit-sized piece of insulating foam broke free from Endeavour's fuel tank and struck the ship as it launched from Florida on Wednesday.But the damage appears to be superficial and is in a place where the heat of the return to Earth will not threaten the shuttle.
Debris flies from shuttles at every launch, but NASA has tried to rectify the problem since shuttle Columbia disintegrated in 2003, killing the seven astronauts on board.
The accident occurred when a briefcase-sized piece of flying tank foam struck the shuttle's wing during launch and put a hole in the heat shield.
