Wayne Hale, who later became space shuttle program manager, struggled with this question after the deaths of the Columbia crew 10 years ago. Recently he wrote about the debate in his blog ...

Video b-roll of the crew’s activities is airing on NASA TV, which is available on the Web and via satellite in the continental U.S. on AMC-6, Transponder 9C, C-Band, at 72 degrees west longitude.

Hale said the crew needed the extra day to use its many cameras -- and perhaps its robotic arm and 50-foot boom, with sensors and cameras at the end -- to scan the spacecraft for any possible damage.