Cape Canaveral, Fla. ? NASA said Friday that cracks have been found in the insulation of all three space shuttle fuel tanks slated to fly in coming months and could be the reason a chunk of foam debris broke off during Endeavour’s launch.

The debris gashed the belly of the shuttle, but ultimately didn’t threaten the spacecraft during its recent mission. But NASA wants to prevent that from happening again and officials outlined their repair plan Friday.

The new cracks were found in a layer of insulating cork that lies beneath the foam insulation on fuel tank brackets. Officials said the cork and foam will be removed and then new foam will be sprayed on before the next shuttle flight.

Shuttle program manager Wayne Hale said the extra work should not delay Discovery’s planned liftoff, currently targeted for Oct. 23.

However, “We will take the amount of time that we need to get this repair done properly, and we will not rush.”

The cracks were found through X-rays of the insulation on each of the five brackets on the fuel tank that will carry Discovery into orbit in two months. Small cracks also were found in the cork on fuel tanks for the two shuttles scheduled to fly later this year and early next year.

Hale said the cracking most likely is connected to the manufacturing process, which hasn’t changed recently. The cracks probably have been present for a while, said Hale, speaking to reporters by telephone from the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where the fuel tanks are made.

Even before Endeavour landed Tuesday, engineers were trying to come up with a temporary solution for the troublesome brackets on the external fuel tank. The brackets – 17 inches long and 3 or 4 inches wide when foamed – support the liquid oxygen feedline.

On Aug. 8, a piece of foam, most likely attached to ice or the underlying insulating cork, peeled away from the fuel tank a minute into Endeavour’s launch. It fell onto a strut lower on the tank, then bounced into the shuttle’s belly, leaving a small but deep gouge.