Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Panel Challenges NASA Over Shuttle Safety

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the salt-in-the-wounds dept.

Uttini writes "NASA skipped some shuttle safety improvements as it tried to meet unrealistic launch dates for the first flight since the Columbia tragedy, some members of an oversight panel said in a scathing critique. Poor leadership also made shuttle Discovery's return to space more complicated, expensive and prolonged than it needed to be."

3 of 266 comments (clear)

  1. Jump On The Bandwagon... by __aaclcg7560 · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Gotta love it when the critics come out of the woodwork. Even if the mission was completely flawless, they would still find something to carp about.

  2. Re:Hey by demachina · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    Your wired article was good too, I forgot to say.

    I'm starting to develop this fear that it might be better if CXV stayed obscure and they keep their progress and success secret. If they start getting to much good press, make to much progress and make CEV, the NASA politburo, and the behemoth contractors look bad that could be bad. They may unite to squash CXV like a bug and once the politics start engineering excellence wont matter a bit.

    The contrast between CXV doing stuff and CEV not, is so stark its kind of embarrassing to the CEV team.

    I wager Mike Griffin will do everything in his power to keep it alive but he runs the risk he may get squashed like a bug too if he rocks the leaky NASA barge to much. Everything I've seen of him I really like him. I wager if anyone can turn NASA aroound he might be the man with a little prodding from below from Rutan. He's about the only Bush appointee I can think of where I can say "That guy is good". His worst problem is I don't think he has enough good people in the upper and middle management to support him. O'Keefe was an embarrassing catastrophe more in line with the Bush track record.

    --
    @de_machina
  3. Re:Hey by MightyMartian · · Score: 0, Flamebait

    I think what should be done is that the shuttle be scrapped, ISS be deorbited and a better orbiter be developed and attention turned to actual space technology rather than keeping an overpriced, near-useless garbage can in space just so we can say "Hey, we've got people up there!"

    --
    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.