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NASA Ponders Postponing Launch until July

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the wait-for-it dept.

BitFluid writes "According to Sun-Sentinel.com, NASA is considering postponing its Return to Flight shuttle launch because of 'ongoing concern about possible ice buildup on a liquid oxygen propellant line.' Apparently, that stuff turns into debris on launch, a risk they need time to investigate. If delayed, the target launch window becomes July 13 through July 31."

13 of 172 comments (clear)

  1. To use old slang.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Postpone it again? Thats cold man...real cold

  2. Let's give it up already by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Let's stop messing around with this piece of shit and develop something wonderful through international cooperation. Just like in The Contact.

    1. Re:Let's give it up already by DisasterDoctor · · Score: 4, Funny

      We will as soon as the aliens beam us the plans.

    2. Re:Let's give it up already by imsabbel · · Score: 2, Funny

      And if it doesnt work, they could still claim that it DID work, but we just didnt see it because they returned so quickly :)

      --
      HI O WISE PRINCE. WHT TOOK U SO DAM LONG?
  3. Nasa... here by William+Robinson · · Score: 4, Funny
    NASA's focus in recent weeks has been more on ice debris than foam.

    Hmm.. I guess they need my shovell. It take care of my car during winter.

    --
    hilarious
  4. Ice... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Remember all the ice raining off the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo rockets in the launch movies?

    All those guys said was "Let's light this candle"

    1. Re:Ice... by Nosferax · · Score: 1, Funny

      Easy solution... Mount the shuttle nose down :-)

      --
      Remember... A boomerang IS NOT the best way to deliver a bomb.
  5. Was I the only one who... by shreevatsa · · Score: 5, Funny

    read this as "NASA Ponders Postponing Lunch until July?

  6. oh cmon... by Illserve · · Score: 1, Funny

    It's not like the shuttle's gonna blow up or anything.

    Jeez...

  7. Obviously.. by lordfoul · · Score: 4, Funny

    This postponement is so they will have more time to copy the features of Tiger...

    1. Re:Obviously.. by michaeldot · · Score: 3, Funny

      No, NASA uses OS X to check the weather, not to launch shuttles. Mission critical, not mission chic.

      (I'll admit, the dashboard weather widget is pretty cool though.)

  8. It's all my fault by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    I decided to fulfill a lifelong wish and see this launch in person. So I booked my vacation when they announced May 15 was the target date.

    Then they bumped it back to May 22 last week, and I had to scramble to rebook everything.

    Now they've fucking pushed it back to July. This is the kind of luck I have. If I were to move to Florida, they'd probably cancel the fucking space program and de-orbit the ISS.

    Thanks, NASA! I should have known to wait for a few launches to come and go, so you got complacent again and started putting timetables before safety once more.

    I'm still taking the trip in May because there's other stuff I want to do/see down there (plus the airlines are downright vicious with the cancellation fees). I'll just fly back down for a day or two when they finally get their shit together.

  9. Am I the only one... by bombshelter13 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Am I the only one who initially read this as 'NASA Ponders Postponing Lunch until July'?