Nasa says tear in shuttle service not a big threat

Nasa says it is not too concerned by a small tear in a heat-protecting blanket on the exterior of the space shuttle Atlantis.

The craft is expected to dock with the Internatinoal Space Station in the coming hours.

The mission was earlier set back by damage caused by hail to the insulating foam on the shuttle’s fuel tank.

This material has been a major concern for NASA since loose foam caused the Columbia’s disaster in 2003 in which seven crew died.

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