NATION IN BRIEF : FLORIDA : Shuttle Atlantis Damaged by Hail
The leaking shuttle Atlantis, caught in a thunderstorm after being hauled off its launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center for repairs, suffered minor hail damage before it could be moved to shelter, officials said. NASA spokeswoman Lisa Malone said Atlantis suffered “90 to 100 dings” in its fragile heat-shield tile system. “They can all be repaired,” she said. Atlantis was moved into the shelter of NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building, where it will be removed from its external tank and towed to a nearby hangar next week for repairs to fix a hydrogen fuel leak.
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