NASA: Not overly concerned about foam debris hits on shuttle

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida (CNN) - NASA is not "overly concerned" about three small dings left on the side of space shuttle Endeavour after foam debris fell from the shuttle's fuel tank following liftoff, a shuttle manager said Thursday.

The foam, on the external fuel tank, fell off in about half-inch thick strips, said Shuttle Program Manager John Shannon. Although foam loss of that size is unusual, Shannon said, he did not think that it would cause much damage because the loss occurred late into liftoff.

NASA video shows the foam tumbling into space after the shuttle had already left the Earth's atmosphere.

Officials have yet to complete their external inspection of the shuttle, Shannon said. They are using video of the launch to examine the incident.

Endeavour streaked the skies over Cape Canaveral on Wednesday evening as it lifted off for the international space station after four days of weather delays.