INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION -- NASA has given the green light for the space shuttle Endeavour's heat shield.
    
Mission managers have spent days pouring over video of the launch and pictures of the shuttle taken in orbit.
    
It's standard procedure to look for any damage from debris hitting the shuttle during launch.  However, NASA said aside from some minor blemishes, there are no major problems that would keep the shuttle from coming back to Earth.
 
The crew got its day started with the sounds of Aaron Copeland's "Fanfare For the Common Man" Wednesday morning. Listen to the Wakeup Call.
     
The next spacewalk for the crew is Thursday.

Tool Bag, Spider Lost, But First Spacewalk Completed

The first spacewalk is in the books for the crew of Endeavour.

Astronauts Heidemarie Stefanyshyn-Piper and Stephen Bowen left the ISS just before 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, and stored an empty nitrogen tank inside Endeavour's cargo bay so it can be brought back to Earth.

An astronaut accidentally let go of her tool bag Tuesday after a grease gun inside it exploded.     

It was one of the largest items ever to be lost by a spacewalker, and occurred during an unprecedented attempt to clean and lube a gummed-up joint at the International Space Station.
     
NASA said it doesn't know how the 30 lb. bag got loose; it should have been tethered to a larger equipment bag. Another unknown was why the grease gun discharged.
     
Flight controllers are assessing the impact the lost bag will have on the next three planned spacewalks. The astronauts may be asked to keep sharing tools or use caulking-style guns intended for repairs to the shuttle's thermal shielding.

Despite losing a tool bag, the astronauts then replaced two sets of bearing assemblies on a damaged joint that rotates the starboard solar wings on the ISS.

The astronauts cleaned the area around a third bearing assembly, which will be replaced on the next spacewalk.

Meanwhile, it looks like the crew lost a spider.

Two of the creatures were taken up on Endeavour as part of a push for teachers across the country to get their students involved with science.

Right now, the astronauts can only see one of the arachnids.

The crew isn't too concerned, saying they think the other spider will likely turn up soon.

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