Endeavour docks with space station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., July 17 (UPI) -- The shuttle Endeavour docked with the International Space Station Friday after performing a backflip during an inspection for possible damage, NASA said.

Shuttle commander Mark Polansky docked with the orbiting space station at 1:47 p.m. EDT and was to open the hatches between the two crafts after a check for leaks, NASA said.

A preliminary review showed only minor dings suffered Wednesday during launch when pieces of thermal foam peeled off the shuttle's external fuel tank.

NASA has taken extra care to analyze break-away foam since the loss of the shuttle Columbia in 2003 from a piece of foam that struck the left wing.

Any damage to the Endeavour would need to be understood before the shuttle Discovery launches Aug. 18 on a supply mission to the space station, NASA officials said.

The Endeavour crew includes Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata, the first astronaut to serve on three international space station expeditions.