The Objects Beside Atlantis
Just before coming home, a shuttle crew spotted mysterious objects floating beside them, and NASA delayed the landing to find out what they were.
What was reported
In September 2006, after helping build the International Space Station, Space Shuttle Atlantis undocked and prepared to return to Earth. Then the crew noticed small objects drifting near the shuttle, one of them flashing in the sunlight.
Because a piece of debris had doomed Space Shuttle Columbia three years earlier, NASA took no chances: the landing was put off by a day while the crew used cameras and the robot arm to inspect the shuttle's heat shield.
Explanations offered
The inspection found no damage. NASA concluded the objects were most likely bits of the shuttle itself shaken loose, such as a thin spacer from between the heat-shield tiles and a plastic bag. Atlantis landed safely a day late.
- When
- September 2006
- Where
- In orbit, aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis
- Witnesses
- The crew of Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-115)
- Status
- Explained
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