The Atlantis astronauts uncovered a 21-inch stretch of nicks on their space shuttle Tuesday, but NASA said the damage did not appear to be serious.

The damage was likely the result of debris that came off the fuel tank shortly after liftoff Monday. The astronauts were inspecting their ship while racing to the Hubble Space Telescope when they came across the nicks spread over four to five thermal tiles, on the bottom of the shuttle where the right wing joins the fuselage.

"It doesn't look very serious," Mission Control said. "Those tiles are pretty thick. The nicks look to be pretty small."

This repair mission is especially risky _ a rescue shuttle is on standby for the first time ever _ because of the debris-littered orbit of Hubble. Unlike other space flights, the astronauts can't reach the international space station because it is in a different orbit than the telescope.

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Meanwhile, Atlantis' launch pad took more of a beating than usual during Monday's launch. The heat-resistant material that covers the bricks beneath the pad was blasted off an approximate 25-square-foot area. Some nitrogen gas and pressurized air lines also were damaged.

It certainly is good news that NASA is not currently too concerned.  However, Atlantis still has a long a dangerous mission to complete, with 5 sacewalks being scheduled.  It has been described by some as "brain surgery" being carried out in space.  My thoughts and best wishes will continue to go out to Atlantis and her crew until they safely touch down back on Earth.