A little while ago, I read a report that caught my attention. Apparently, astronauts aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery have reported something floating away from the orbiter. Not long afterwards, astronauts spotted what appeared to be a small protrusion from the aft end of the orbiter’s tail. The NASA image below shows the debris floating away from the shuttle.

The debris floated away from the shuttle after it test fired its thrusters and tested its atmospheric flight control surfaces. It...