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Space Shuttle Atlantis Delayed Again

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the mom-says-i'm-grounded dept.

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."

7 of 174 comments (clear)

  1. Fuel Cell Supplier by tygerstripes · · Score: 5, Funny

    NASA are presently in conference with the fuel-cell's supplier, Dell.

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    1. Re:Fuel Cell Supplier by kingtonm · · Score: 4, Funny

      Dear Dell Customer,

      Dell has identified a potential issue associated with certain batteries sold with the NASA Shuttle(TM) series. In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and other regulatory agencies, Dell is voluntarily recalling certain Dell-branded batteries with cells manufactured by Sony and offering free replacements for these batteries. Under rare conditions, it is possible for these batteries to overheat, which could pose a risk of fire, explosion, or firey death.

  2. If only. by rtyall · · Score: 4, Funny

    I bet they wished they bought Duracell now.

  3. Tell me again, Americans... by Sunburnt · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...why, exactly, our country's spaceport is still located in a state known for nothing so much as lightning and storms? I'm silly enough to live in Florida right now too, but I'd be moving even sooner if I had a multimillion dollar vehicle parked in my garage. Everything seems to point to Florida's climate worsening throughout the foreseeable future.

    Ha, I'm just kidding. Congress would love to see NASA inoperable so they can go back to spending money on bridges to nowhere (Thanks, Ted Stevens!)

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    1. Re:Tell me again, Americans... by clickclickdrone · · Score: 5, Funny

      >a state known for nothing so much as lightning and storms?
      And oranges. It's a well kept secret that rocket fuel is actually distilled orange juice. What colour is the shuttle's fuel tank? Orange. To hide the leaks.

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      I want a list of atrocities done in your name - Recoil
  4. Weather.. sure.. right by saboola · · Score: 3, Funny

    ..or maybe it's the Goa'uld Ha'tak mothership sitting a couple hundred miles above Port Canaveral preventing the launch. You can fool me Nasa, I watch television.

  5. Re:If it's broken ... by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Funny

    In a nutshell, better to not go up than to blow up.

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