Do you think NASA should have repaired the Endeavour’s hull before attempting reentry?”
The space shuttle tiles are designed to act in unison, instead of each tile being absolutely necessary. In the early years, whole tiles used to fall off during re-entry, with no danger to the shuttle. It still happens from time to time. As long as the damaged area is of limited size, there should be no danger to the astronauts. The Columbia disaster was caused by major damage to one of the wing’s leading edges. The damage was much larger than a single tile, and in a much more vulnerable place on the wing. I think the NASA engineers are very conscious of the safety of the astronauts, and would have ordered the repair if the danger were more than negligible. I do not think Hurricane Dean affected their decision. It is unlikely that the Houston control center will be evacuated, and so the mission will probably not be cut short. I hope this helps.
