Keep in mind the reason why they were able to see the potential damage was that this time NASA had more cameras in place than a Speilberg production...after the Columbia disaster, they are much more safety conscious & less willing to let "go fever" mentality drive the program...
BTW, did everyone see the shuttle backflip as they approached the space station? I know it was done so they could scope out the underside of the craft for damage, but it was still very cool to see this first-ever acrobatic move being made by a vehicle the size of a building...

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