Cadet Kelly was only a Paramount Original film.
The Orbiter Boom Sensor System -LRB- OBSS -RRB- was a 50-foot boom carried on board NASA 's Space Shuttles .. NASA. NASA. The boom was grappled by the Canadarm and served as an extension of the arm , doubling its length to a combined total of 100 feet -LRB- 30 m -RRB- .. Canadarm. Canadarm. At the far end of the boom was an instrumentation package of cameras and lasers used to scan the leading edges of the wings , the nose cap , and the crew compartment after each lift-off and before each landing .. If flight engineers suspected potential damage to other areas , as evidenced in imagery captured during lift-off or the rendezvous pitch maneuver , then additional regions could be scanned .. rendezvous pitch maneuver. rendezvous pitch maneuver. The OBSS was introduced to the shuttle fleet with STS-114 , the `` Return to Flight '' mission executed by Discovery , and was flown on every mission after that until the retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet in 2011 .. Space Shuttle. Space Shuttle. STS-114. STS-114. Discovery. Space Shuttle Discovery. retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet. Space Shuttle retirement. It was used to inspect the shuttle for damage to the heat shield , officially called the Thermal Protection System -LRB- TPS -RRB- , that could jeopardize the shuttle during re-entry .. Thermal Protection System. Space shuttle thermal protection system. The decision to perform focused inspections of the TPS was prompted by the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster , in which Columbia was destroyed due to damage inflicted to its TPS during lift-off .. Space Shuttle. Space Shuttle. The OBSS was central to focused inspections of the TPS , not only because it carried all the instruments necessary for detailed measurements and observations , but also because without it , the Canadarm was too short to reach to all the areas that needed to be surveyed .. Canadarm. Canadarm