Engineers replaced a tile-covered closeout panel today on one of the shuttle Discovery's twin rocket pods after a protective cockpit window cover fell off, dropped 60 feet and dinged two heat-shield tiles. The repair work went smoothly and NASA managers said it was not expected to impact plans to launch the shuttle Wednesday on the first post-Columbia mission.

Discovery vehicle manager Stephanie Stilson explains the window cover incident to reporters. Credit: Steven Young/Spaceflight Now

The plastic cover was taped in place over one of Discovery's two overhead cockpit windows. It may have pulled off when an inflatable seal around the shuttle's fuselage was deflated prior to moving a protective gantry away from the orbiter.

The space shuttle's orbital maneuvering system rocket pods, one mounted on either side of the vertical stabilizer, are interchangeable across the shuttle fleet and so-called carrier panels are used to cover the fittings that secure the pods to the fuselage. The carrier panel in question featured three heat shield tiles, two of which were damaged by the falling window cover.

Discovery processing manager Stephanie Stilson described the repair procedure as "minor" and said the replacement carrier panel fit well. Just to be safe, engineers at the Johnson Space Center were asked to conduct an overnight analysis to make sure the forces involved in the impact were not high enough to cause any structural damage. Stilson said they were confident no such damage occurred.

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