Space Shuttle Atlantis Delayed Again

eldavojohn writes "An electrical short cause the space shuttle Atlantis to be delayed since a lightning strike to the pad and Tropical Storm Ernesto caused delays. From the article: 'Liftoff was only hours away Wednesday morning when engineers reported a short in one of three fuel cells that supplies electricity for all the on-board systems, including the crew compartment.' It also points out that 'The faulty cell is currently operational even with the short. But after the 2003 Columbia disaster, which killed all seven astronauts, NASA says it has adopted an aggressive, safety-conscious approach to launching.' It causes one to wonder whether pre-Columbia-disaster NASA would have just replaced the fuel cell on the fly without telling anyone — and whether or not that is an ethically sound choice."

Comments

Re:Tad unfair

[samsonov]

I think its a tad unfair to question what may or may not have happened years ago. They learned and are acting on the safe side now.

I am not convinced they have learned enough and are acting safe enough. It seems every launch has revealed mysterious issues that have been overlooked in prior launches. It makes the moon landing look more like a falsified event. I understand they have deadlines, but if you equate this to a car (I know - nothing like it really, but I'll never get to drive the shuttle...) I wouldn't want to be driving with the doors falling off...