NASA told space shuttle Discovery's astronauts Thursday that a spacewalk to repair a torn thermal blanket will not be necessary. Mission Control told the crew of seven that the shuttle will be safe for re-entry with the ripped blanket below the cockpit window, AP reported. The space agency had been considering sending the astronauts out to snip away part of the blanket for fear a 13-inch (33-centimeter) section weighing just under an ounce (2.5 centimeters) could tear away during the return to Earth and slam into the shuttle, perhaps causing grave damage. It would have been the fourth spacewalk of the mission, and the second time during the flight that the astronauts had to step outside to repair the shuttle's thermal protection and reduce the risk of another Columbia-type tragedy during the trip home, when the spacecraft passes through the blowtorch heat of re-entry. «We have good news,» Mission Control radioed to Discovery. The mission management team concluded that the torn blanket «is safe for return. There's no issue.»
