When the NASA Discovery space shuttle launches in November, there will be dozens of upgrades and safety modifications, but one thing will remain unchanged from every mission during the last five years: 3-D scanning and processing will be used to help ensure the safe return of astronauts to Earth.

As part of the Return to Flight initiative following the Columbia disaster in 2002, NASA implemented 3-D scanning and processing to detect, assess, and repair, if necessary, tile damage caused by foam particles dislodged from the shuttle and other flying debris.

Heat-resistant ceramic tiles that cover the underside of the shuttle Discovery are part of the thermal protection system that shields the orbiter and its astronauts from the 2,300°F-heat faced during re-entry into the Earth’s atmosphere.

Simulation of the Neptec system scanning the Discovery shuttle. Image courtesy of Neptec.

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