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

Environment and space exploration don't mix well

[dinther]

I can't believe people actually make an issue of some freon foam on the space shuttle and dare to take unnesseary risks by changing the foam. Although the XPrize tried to suggest that space is safe and open for tourists, I don't believe that.

Amazing that after 40 years we still struggle to get people in orbit safely. Yes Nasa is stupid and all that but I believe that the problems associated with space travel are not that easy to solve.

Why whine about some foam while the rocket engines put piles of pollutants in the atmosphere anyway. So what! We are still taking wobbly babysteps into space and can do without the environmental baggage at this point. Besides whats one shuttle flight compared to millions of cars and dumb fat consumers buring up energy faster than they can lay their hands on it.

Of course the whole thing changes when we all have a space shuttle in our back yard.