NASA: Clip that broke from shuttle not crucial

NASA says an object seen floating away from Discovery on Friday morning was a metal clip for the shuttle's braking system.

The U.S. space agency said it wasn't critical and wouldn't affect the shuttle's landing, scheduled for Saturday at 11:15 a.m. ET.

The shuttle crew said they noticed the rectangular object — about a third to half a metre long — floating away from the shuttle behind the rear portion of the right wing after completing a test of the shuttle's steering jets.

A short time later, the crew discovered what they described as a bump on the left side trailing edge of Discovery's rudder.

The metal clip for the shuttle's braking system is one of three around thermal insulation. The loss of the clip may explain the bump, said NASA TV commentator Rob Navias. But NASA officials later said the bump was likely an optical illusion because of the rudder's angle and lighting.

An inspection of the shuttle on Thursday using a boom-mounted laser sensor didn't reveal any damage to the shuttle.

Discovery undocked from the station on Wednesday morning, leaving behind a newly installed Japanese science module, the largest component of the Kibo laboratory.