Shuttle To Fly Without Safety Revisions

HaloZero writes "In the face of safety concerns, NASA has decided to proceed with launching the Space Shuttle Discovery in July without changes to the external fuel tank. The article states that even though Discovery's last launch shed a huge 1-pound chunk of potentially devastating foam, they're willing to wait to change the spec on the disposable tank. The changes would modify the Ice/Frost Ramp assemblies, which prevent a buildup of ice on fuel lines and cables (as a side effect, they also have a tendency to dislodge large chunks of insulation)."

Comments

Re:Go Back to the Old Foam?

[Richthofen80]

I'll bite...

My older cars from the 1970s didn't have nearly as many problems as newer cars do with their advanced computer systems and emission control systems.

This sounds like old-wives-tale-ism. New cars require less maintenence and are much safer. A 1980 Chevrolet Caprice required annual tune ups and took up more space / weighed more than today's Toyota Corolla, which needs a tune up every 100,000 miles.

The difference is computer controlled cars that are smaller, lighter and more efficient don't affect the safety of the occupants, versus using an 'environmentally friendly' solution to the foam application DID affect the safety of the shuttle occupants.

How good was it to the environment to have those astronauts perish? do you think that the Shuttle breaking up was better for the environment? I think what the parent poster is saying is, There is a time and a place to apply standards. On a supercomplex system like the shuttle, an exemption probably would have made sense.