Shuttle Commander Surprised By Debris Problem

[jayfish]

<SNIP>
Colonel Eileen Collins, the commander of the space shuttle Discovery, has said she was surprised and disappointed that the debris problem that brought down Columbia in 2003 had re-emerged. Col Collins, 48, said: "What I'd like to say is this is something that has to be fixed. I don't think we should fly again unless we do something to prevent this from happening again."
</SNIP>

<SNIP>
Nasa has worked for more than two years and spent $1 billion trying to stop the foam problem and make the shuttle safer.
</SNIP>

Is that a misprint? 1 Billion dollars? It's bad enough they spent that much extra money on the dinosaur to begin with. It's utterly disgusting that they didn't fix it.

Jay

[NuckinFutz]

1. I think NASA should concentrate on

designing a new class of shuttle. These currently in use are 20-30 years old. How many re-entries can these things withstand before they start failing? Surely, we have better technology by now.

[XNASA]

5. NASA is constantly upgrading the fleet.

And not only the hardware, but procedures as well.

It's not accurate to say that all Shuttle technology is 20-30 years old. The engines had had numerous updrades and many of the systems aboard each orbiter have been improved over the years as well.

Hell....even the food is better.

It might look the same as it did 25 years ago, but it's not.

[mccoyn]

10. NASA is working on a replacment for the shuttles.

It'll take time. Five years at least. They shouldn't completly shut down manned space flight until then though.

[jayfish]

12. Yeah But, IMO, They Picked The Wrong Design.

Just like they did with the shuttle in the first place.

Jay

[donsu]

2. feel like I'm watching a play. we have seen Act one and two and now

we are on bathroom break, soon to watch Act three

Eileen is "surprised"?

[Moderator]

3. Please provide a link

Thank you

[jayfish]

4. Link Here.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/07/29/ushuttle.xml&sSheet=/portal/2005/07/29/ixportaltop.html

Sorry, posted and ran for lunch.

Jay

[daleo]

6. I wouldn't want to be in her shoes.

I think they will fly it back, and there won't be another breakup. But, there is no way to really know, so they will be having some tense times up there now.

[Kraklen]

7. This is one collosal screw up for NASA.

I'm not sure how many people are getting the big picture.

Billions of dollars in the Shuttle program down the drain. Billions of dollars in the ISS down the drain. Actual space science is what suffers.

[lonestarnot]

8. Are the people at NASA bushitler more relatives?

AND FUCK FOX NETWORK!

[texanshatingbush]

9. It makes me ill

when I think what 1 Billion dollars in research on Hydrogen fuel cells or other alternative energy sources could do instead of trying to keep the white elephant shuttle flying and the weekly reader projects to justify it. Scrap the space program for now, it can wait. Focus NASA on alternative energy research we need now. When the energy issue is resolved they can go back to thier space games.

[klyon]

11. good point

I hate to put off space but our finances are none to good these days and we need alternate fuels very badly. Still space is very important too. Hard choice. Maybe without tax cuts and war we would have been able to do both.

KL

[Vinca]

13. I admire Col. Collins. How difficult it must be to be up in space

and learn the idiots on the ground hadn't fixed the problem after all. Re-entry is going to be terrifying for these people. And for what? They're essentially a delivery/garbage ship for a space station that seemingly amounts to nothing. Will earthbound problems ever get as much attention? Don't get me started on Mars.