Shattlu Endeavour was allowed to return to the ground. Cracks in the casing are recognized as insignificant

The damage obtained by Endeavour shuttle casing when passing the dense layers of the atmosphere "will not create problems when returning to Earth." This was reported on Saturday by NASA after the detailed inspection of the thermal protection layer of the ship conducted by astronauts.

The decision on a thorough study of Endeavour casing was made on Friday at the Central Department Store in Houston (Texas). To do this, the astronauts had to use the robotic capture of the shuttle, on which they fixed the arrow with a high -resolution camera and a laser scanner. The shooting and scanning were carried out at different angles to get a voluminous image of damaged areas of thermal protection layer.

Seven damaged tiles - each the size of a deck of cards - were seen in the photographs taken from the ISS in front of the docking with the shuttle, when he made a special maneuver that allows visual control of the ship's sheathing.

The astronauts of the United crew Endeavour-MKS devoted almost the whole day on the upcoming work on the outer surface of the station. Andrew Foustel, Michael Fink and Gregory Shamitov prepared spacesuits and tools that will be needed in the course of the ISS service.

NASA provided the astronauts with additional free time before going into outer space. However, Fustel and Fink even spend rest with benefit - they spend the night in the sealed locking compartment "Quest", where the pressure is reduced. This allows you to adapt the body to work overboard and significantly reduces the time of preparation for access to space. It is expected to last about six and a half hours.