NASA are at it again: Shuttle damaged ahead of lift-off

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A PLASTIC cover has fallen off a window on the space shuttle Discovery, causing some damage to the orbiter on the eve of the planned launch.
NASA said it hoped to fix the problem swiftly.

The protective cover, which is taken off before the launch, fell about 20 meters onto one of the shuttle's two orbital maneuvering systems (OMS), which are used once the craft is in orbit.

Some of the tiles on the edge of the OMS were damaged in the incident, NASA manager for Discovery preparations Stephanie Stilson said.
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"I have been assured it can be fixed quickly and then we can move on," she said.

"There is plenty of time to work out an issue like this."

Discovery remains scheduled to take-off at 5:51 am (AEST) tomorrow, marking the first space shuttle flight since the February 2003 Columbia tragedy.