hite splotches spotted on the black right wing edge of orbiting space shuttle Discovery appear to be bird droppings according to NASA officials. That means the excrement survived regular Florida thunderstorms, 300,000 gallons of water that was sprayed at the shuttle's main engines during the launch, and the thrust upward through Earth's atmosphere.

Shuttle lead flight director Tony Ceccacci said he saw the same splotches on the identical part of the shuttle about three weeks ago when Discovery was on the launch pad and laughed when pictures beamed back from space Wednesday showed they were still there, reported the AP.

The bird droppings remained in place even during liftoff, Ceccacci guessed. According to the AP, he figures the rest will burn up during landing, when the shuttle's edges get as hot as 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit.