Discovery debris may have struck wing
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., July 28 (UPI) -- NASA scientists say a small piece of insulating foam that came off space shuttle Discovery during its Tuesday launch may have struck the orbiter's wing.
But National Aeronautics and Space Administration engineers said they don't believe the foam caused any damage, a NASA official said late Thursday.
Camera footage showed foam about 7 inches long and 2 inches wide separating from the spacecraft's external tank at an altitude of about 200,000 feet toward the wing, Deputy Program Manager Wayne Hale said.
Hale said sensors on the wing didn't detect any impact, but even if the foam did strike the wing, NASA calculations showed the impact would have had about a tenth of the energy necessary to cause damage.
An even larger piece of foam also fell off the tank, but NASA officials don't believe it struck the orbiter, CNN reported. The larger piece was similar to the piece of foam that damaged Columbia's wing in February 2003, eventually causing the shuttle to break up during re-entry killing all seven astronauts aboard.
NASA experts are expected to develop a "fly-home as-is recommendation or a repair recommendation, as required," Hale said.
Senate takes up House-passed energy bill
WASHINGTON, July 28 (UPI) -- The U.S. Senate began debate Thursday on a wide-ranging energy bill passed earlier in the day by the House of Representatives.
The bill gives billions in tax breaks and other incentives to promote energy production from traditional and alternative sources, The Washington Post reported.
The Senate is expected to vote on the measure Friday.
The bill, approved in the House by a vote of 275 to 156, includes $14.5 billion in tax breaks over 10 years -- most of it going to traditional energy interests such as coal, oil, natural gas and utilities, the newspaper said. It also provides incentives for production of alternative sources of energy -- including wind -- and for promoting energy efficiency in commercial and residential buildings.
The bill also calls for tax incentives to promote wider use of hybrid cars.
Supporters in the House called the bill a good first step toward energy sources that produce less pollution. Opponents said it does little to help consumers at the fuel pump or to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign sources of oil.
El Salvador praises CAFTA passing
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador, July 28 (UPI) -- El Salvadoran President Elias Antonio Saca praised Thursday U.S. House of Representatives' passage of the Central America Free Trade Agreement.
Saca called the decision "very important for Central America and democracy," La Prensa Libre reported.
The agreement eliminates trade barriers between the United States and five Central American countries -- Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica -- along with the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean.
The Senate passed the treaty last month, but it has to hold another vote because the U.S. Constitution requires bills affecting government revenues -- such as CAFTA -- to originate in the House.
Moderate earthquake hits Tokyo
TOKYO, July 28 (UPI) -- An earthquake hit the Kanto region and Tokyo Thursday night, registering 5.1 on the Richter scale, the Japanese Meteorological Agency said.
The quake hit about 7:15 p.m. local time and slowed Tokyo subway traffic. Its center was just over 31 miles below the southern Ibaraki Prefecture, according to Japanese news source Mainichi Shimbun.
Last Saturday, a magnitude 6 earthquake hit the Kanto region of Japan. Two people were hurt, and area transport was delayed for hours.
