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It has to rate alongside proof-reading telephone directories for tedium:
every time NASA’s space shuttle lands, someone has to inspect each of its 24,000
heat-shielding tiles for damage. No longer. NASA’s Ames research lab has
developed a hand-held laser scanner that can inspect 60 square centimetres of
tile at a time. It creates a 3D image of the surface, which is analysed on the
spot. If a crack is found, the operator can instantly decide the best way to
repair it. “The system could eventually reduce the shuttle’s turn-around time,”
says Suzy Cunningham, who tested the scanner at Kennedy…