Parazynski said that he barely managed to reach the wing's snagged wires and cut them.
"Another foot beyond that and I don't think we could have reached it," he said. "If it had been any farther away, it would have been a Plan B or C or D. I don't know what it would have been."
After leaving the space station on Monday, the astronauts used a laser- and camera-tipped boom to hunt for possible micrometeorite damage to the shuttle's wing and nose that might have occurred during the 11 days the shuttle was docked to the orbiting outpost.
NASA was finishing up its analysis of the latest laser data and expected to let the astronauts know later Tuesday if they are cleared for landing.
Wake-Up Call
The astronauts woke up Tuesday morning to Deep Purple's "Space Trucking," played for astronaut Clayton Anderson, who is headed home after a five-month stay on the space station.
"You know they say all great things have to come to an end, and I'm really sorry that I have to agree with that for now, but I had an awesome ride with several awesome crews," Anderson said. "I miss my family, and I miss my friends and I'm looking forward to being back on the ground."
Anderson said he's looking forward to ice-cold drinks and ice cream, which are unavailable on the space station.
Shuttle Atlantis, meanwhile, is being prepped for launch as early as December 6. It is set to deliver a new European laboratory called Columbus to the space station.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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