Nation IN BRIEF : FLORIDA : Object Near Atlantis Was Ice, NASA Says
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
NASA engineers said the mini-mystery oblong object seen floating beside space shuttle Atlantis after last week’s satellite release was actually a chunk of ice. The five-foot-long icicle apparently was shaken loose from the outer surface of a shuttle engine nozzle when the astronauts freed the giant communications satellite a few hours after liftoff Friday, a space agency spokesman said. Engineers identified the object after repeatedly viewing a videotape beamed down by the Atlantis crew.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.