NASA Decides Shuttle Doesn't Need Repair

via OWH, NASA administrators have decided against any attempt at repairing the gouge along the bottom rear of the orbiter caused by falling insulating foam at lift off.

"Ultimately, managers decided they couldn't justify putting spacewalking astronauts at risk if the vehicle was in acceptable shape as is to make the journey home. A spacewalk earlier this week, cut short by an astronaut's ripped glove, showed how hazardous even a relatively routine jaunt outside the international space station can be."

The astronauts on the mission have already completed their primary tasks on the construction project adding a truss segment to the ISS and have also replaced one of the station's gyroscopes used for controlling the station's orbit.