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Shuttles Grounded Once Again

Posted by samzenpus on from the ground-control dept.

PipianJ writes "After discovering that the piece of the shuttle that fell off mysteriously, not actually striking it, (as reported earlier) was a piece of foam insulation not unlike the piece that ended up in the destruction of Columbia, Yahoo News reports that NASA has once again grounded the shuttle fleet."

4 of 685 comments (clear)

  1. What a wonderful bit of news... by chill · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ...to wake up to, if you're on the Shuttle in orbit! That has just GOT to be a major morale booster for the people currently in space.

    "Uh, yeah. Remember Columbia? Well, to make sure it doesn't happen again, none of the Shuttles are going to fly. Oh, except you guys. You're cool. Trust us."

    --
    Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
  2. Isn't debris unavoidable? by sTalking_Goat · · Score: 5, Insightful
    That what I've been hearing from all the "experts" the vibration from take-off always shakes stuff loose, so aren't they overreacting just a tad.

    This sounds like the death of US space travel, but maybe this will speed along a space shuttle replacement.

    --

    My days of not taking you seriously are certainly coming to a middle...

  3. Re:Huh now? by iocat · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Maybe they should start painting the foam again, as called for in the initial design spec. I know if was heavy and expensive, but it might stick together better.

    --

    Dude, I think I can see my house from here.

  4. Re:FP? by J05H · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I'd rather have a rocket with the payload where it's supposed to be: on top. Saturn V never worried about ice shedding, it was expected and not a problem because the payload was on top. Side mounted payloads are suicide.

    I'm not religous, but godspeed Discovery.

    --
    gigantino.tv - Heavy but weighs nothing.