Two radars installed at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center tracked the recent launch of the Mercury-bound MESSENGER spacecraft, and demonstrated they can be of assistance when the space shuttle returns to flight next year. During the launch, the radars “saw” the rocket’s nine solid rocket boosters separate, as well as the jettison of its first stage and payload fairing – they could even see pieces of ice falling away. This means that the radars will be able to track the space shuttle as it launches, and spot any debris that falls off, regardless of visibility, darkness or cloud cover.