The crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery was "very surprised" to learn that foam debris had come off the shuttle's external fuel tank during liftoff Tuesday, Commander Eileen Collins says.

"We were very surprised to hear that a large piece of foam had fallen off," Collins said. "Frankly, we were disappointed that it happened."

Collins and Mission Specialist Andy Thomas spoke with NPR's Michele Norris as they and the rest of the crew orbited the Earth. They admit some concern about the foam that fell from the Discovery's fuel tank on liftoff. Collins says there's no significant damage to the shuttle, though the crew will look at specific sites with cameras and lasers to get a better idea of the orbiter's condition.

And Collins points out that an unprecedented amount of care is being taken to inspect the shuttle to make sure it is safe to return to Earth at the end of the mission. She says her more immediate focus is on carrying out Discovery's mission -- including a spacewalk that's scheduled to take place Saturday.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.