Slashdot Mirror
Shuttle to Launch Despite Objections
sam0ht writes "NASA has just named July 1st as the launch date for the space shuttle Discovery, a year after the last shuttle mission. Last July's mission was the first since the break-up of Columbia in 2003, but after foam again broke away from the main tank, the shuttle fleet was grounded. More foam has been removed from the main tank, but NASA staff are divided over whether this is enough to ensure the flight's safety, with some reporting that both the lead engineer and top safety official are against launching again so soon. Managers want to make only one major change at a time, and plan that if damage does occur, the crew would be able to stay in the International Space Station, to which they are delivering supplies, rather than trying to land a damaged shuttle."
It is not clear why we still need the shuttle at this point. The shuttle is really not a tool for manned exploration of space because all it does is orbit, and its continuing scientific contributions are dubious, as well. Most if not all of the missions that the shuttle is used for could be accomplished by robots (with the exception of repair missions such as Hubble and the missions where the objective is to "determine the effect of weightlessness on the human body"). I think we should just scrap the shuttle at get to work on real technologies such as field propulsion that will get people excited about the space program again. If we stop wasting money on shuttle missions, maybe we won't be stuck with this stone-age chemical rocketry for another 50 years.
In other news, old junk goes "boom".
There is no compelling need to put people in space with primitive technology now that the Cold War is over. Life is cheap, courage abundant, but life support equipment is insanely expensive. Send robots first, gather data, and save sending humans for later. It is not rational to rush. Let technology evolve, send more unmanned systems to explore, then send more mature designs to follow.
Oh, by the way, put the jettisonable explosive bits BELOW the fuselage next time.
"This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
I heard that NASA will charge $100 per seat to watch the fireworks ???