Shuttle STS-127 External Tank Lost Foam Due to "As-Yet-Unknown Mechanism"

Bill Harwood of CBS News’ Space Place reports that “an as-yet-unknown mechanism” caused foam to peel away from the intertank area during the STS-127 launch yesterday. He quotes space shuttle program manager John Shannon as saying “There is nothing that we have seen on the orbiter that causes us any concern” but “Of course, since this looks like a new mechanism of shedding foam off the intertank, we need to understand that. It did not hurt us, apparently, on this flight, because it came off so late. But we’ll need to understand that before the next flight.”