MISSION CONTROL (Korolev), July 28 (RIA Novosti) - International Space Station expedition commander Sergei Krikalev and flight engineer John Phillips photographed the approaching Discovery shuttle to detect possible surface damage, an expert at Russia's Mission Control Center told RIA Novosti.
The pictures were taken Thursday by two digital cameras with special lenses as the space shuttle approached for a scheduled docking, flying in an unusual upside-down maneuver, the source said. NASA engineers will now scrutinize the images to see if any damage was caused to Discovery's surface or its thermal insulation system during liftoff when pieces of debris fell off the fuel tank and the shuttle's underside, near the nose landing gear.
During the launch of Columbia in 2003, falling foam from the shuttle's external tank struck the space shuttle, leading to its disintegration upon reentry and the deaths of seven crewmembers.
