The crew of astronauts aboard the space shuttle Atlantis on Tuesday detected damage to the space shuttle's heat shield, while the shuttle was heading towards the Hubble Space Telescope to do some repair work. The astronauts found a 21-inch stretch of nicks on Atlantis, but NASA stated that the damage is not serious.

NASA reported that the crew members of the space shuttle Atlantis have found minor damage to heat shield of the shuttle. The astronauts are continuously inspecting the shuttle and they are trying to assess potential damage to the thermal protection system, which damage occurred during the launch of the shuttle.

According to NASA, the astronauts are checking the heat shield, including the nose and wing, and they are obtaining info using a robotic arm and an Orbiter Boom Sensor System that scans the spacecraft. The info gained by astronauts is transferred to experts in Mission Control in Houston.

The seven crew members on the space shuttle Atlantis include Cmdr. Scott Altman – the leader of the mission, Retired Navy Capt. Gregory C. Johnson – the pilot of the spacecraft, and NASA veterans John Grunsfeld and Mike Massimino. The crew also includes Andrew Feustel, Michael Good, and Megan McArthur, who are on their first voyage to space. The astronauts are on 11 day mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope, which was launched 19 years ago. After repairs, the telescope is expected to work at least up to 2014.

The space shuttle Atlantis is on its 30th mission. NASA is downplaying the damage to four tiles on the underside heat shield, but it should not forget that the space shuttle Columbia accident, which killed seven crew members, took place due to heat shield damage. In case of emergency, NASA has kept the shuttle Endeavour ready for the rescue mission.