CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla., July 5 (UPI) -- The seven crew aboard the shuttle Discovery began an exterior video inspection of the craft Wednesday, their first full day of a 13-day mission.
The shuttle lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., Tuesday afternoon on its 32nd trip into space, and some concerns arose when at least five pieces of foam broke loose as it ascended, CNN reported.
At a Tuesday night news briefing however, shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said the particles had come away after a critical time period.
"We don't see any concern for the orbiter," Hale said, adding in an early conversation with the crew, there was "very little to talk about because the orbiter performed so well."
During the mission, crew members Piers Sellers and Mike Fossum will conduct two space walks to test a new shuttle robotic arm and to repair a piece of equipment outside the International Space Station. Thomas Reiter of Germany will transfer to the orbiting station at the end of the shuttle's mission.
