Astronauts to Open New Room

Astronauts added the school bus-sized room — called Harmony — during a 6.5-hour spacewalk Friday, using a robotic arm to lift it from the shuttle's cargo bay and install it on the station.

A block of time had been set aside Saturday for more inspections of Discovery for launch damage. But NASA decided Friday that a focused examination wasn't necessary because the shuttle's thermal shielding appeared to be in good shape.

Examining the shield that protects the shuttle from the searing heat of re-entry has been a top priority for NASA since Columbia's loss in 2003.

Columbia disintegrated after a piece of foam broke off its external fuel tank during liftoff and gashed a wing, allowing hot gases to penetrate the ship during its descent. All seven of its astronauts were killed.

NASA examined images of Discovery gathered during launch, a second-day wing and nose scan and a pre-docking backflip maneuver before determining there was no significant damage. Another inspection two days before landing will check for any impacts from orbital debris.

Astronauts Daniel Tani and Scott Parazynski also were scheduled to spend time Saturday preparing for the next day's spacewalk, the second of a record-tying five outings planned for the mission.