Nothing "Fell" Off of Discovery

NASA: Metal clip fell off shuttle but not problem, AP

“A metal clip fell from Discovery’s brakes on Friday but NASA said it won’t delay the space shuttle’s scheduled landing on Saturday. The astronauts reported to Mission Control earlier Friday that they saw a rectangular object, about 1 to 1 1/2 feet long, floating away from the tail of the shuttle. It turned out to be one of three metal clips around thermal insulation. The insulation is in the shuttle’s rudder speed brake, which is used to slow the spacecraft as it comes in for a landing. NASA says the missing clip isn’t critical for landing. It’s used to protect the speed brake from high temperatures during the shuttle’s launch.”

Editor’s note: Technically speaking, nothing “fell” off of Discovery. Rather, it became detached and drifted away, following its own independent orbit …