If astronauts have to venture into the void of space to fix a deep gash on the shuttle Endeavour's belly, they will get plenty of help from a team of experts assembled to help pick and perfect the best repair technique.

NASA has put together the team of engineers, astronauts and spacewalk gurus as other specialists scrambled to determine whether the crew needed to fix the gouge to avoid extensive post-flight repairs. A decision was expected by today.

The gouge is relatively small - 9 centimeters by 5 centimeters - and the damage is benign enough for Endeavour to fly safely home. But part of it penetrates through the protective thermal tiles, leaving just a thin layer of coated felt over the space shuttle's aluminum frame to keep out the more than more than 1,000 C heat of re-entry. Fixing any resulting structural damage could be expensive and time-consuming.