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He says programmatic risk is not the same as risk to the crew, arguing that Discovery's seven astronauts have safety options that were not available to Columbia's crew. They will inspect the underside of the orbiter with cameras during launch and when they first reach space. And if they find a small hole or crack in the heat shield, they have rudimentary repair methods that might be able to fix the problem. If the damage was serious, they could also stay on the International Space Station until a shuttle came to pick them up. Shuttle Atlantis is being prepared for its next flight in August but could be called upon for a rescue mission.