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NASA clears Discovery for journey back home
Analysts at mission control in Houston have spent long times checking out the latest images of the surface of the shuttle and they are now convinced that the Discovery is safe enough for its journey back home.
The scientists reported that they saw some nicks and spots but the damage is not serious enough to delay the journey back to earth. NASA has to be extra cautious with these checks considering the damage occurred during the launch on Columbia shuttle resulted in its demise while coming back.
The current mission is just the second Space Shuttle mission since that disaster which had in fact resulted in the grounding of the entire Shuttle fleet. NASA engineers said in a statement that they do not see any requirement for an astronaut to conduct a spacewalk to make minor repairs to the shield.
Discovery is currently docked with the International Space Station. It is now scheduled to return back to earth on 17 July. NASA would be conducting a final check for damage before the mission back home. Commander Steven Lindsey spoke on this development: “That is great news. That’s fantastic.”