Following the recent re-launch of the NASA space shuttle programme, astronauts and analysts back at base have been beavering away analysing and fixing potential problems with the Discovery shuttle that’s currently in orbit.

Firstly there was concern at the various bits of foam that fell off the shuttle during launch. Then an astronaut removed some dangling fixing strips from the underside. Today there’s concern surrounding a thermal blanket near the cockpit.

According to a report by the BBC: “I think in the old days, we would not have worried about this nearly so much,” deputy shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said of this latest concern. “We’re just pounding this flat. We’re not going to leave any stone unturned at this stage, to make sure the crew’s safe during entry.”

This is a sure sign of panic. Worrying about things that may not be a problem. Trouble is, with all this fiddling around, are NASA creating further potential problems?