NASA Commemorates Space Shuttle Tragedies

eldavojohn writes "Space.com is covering NASA's commemoration of the Apollo 1 crew & the last shuttle crews of both the Challenger and Columbia orbiters. The Apollo 1 crew was lost forty years ago yesterday to a fire while testing their spacecraft on a launch pad. From the article: 'While the nearly two decades separating NASA's three space disasters allowed room for the agency to grow complacent, the relatively short time between the 2003 loss of Columbia and the end of the shuttle program could avoid a repeat of such behavior.'"

Comments

Antiques

[Original Replica]

the relatively short time between the 2003 loss of Columbia and the end of the shuttle program could avoid a repeat of such behavior.

So could replacing the shuttles. Even if we keep the basic design, make one or two that are built for more frequent service and toss the rest. The only reason to "end" the shuttle program is that it became stagant.

Re:Antiques

[Nyeerrmm]

Unfortunately the unsafe-ness of the shuttle isn't a small thing can be fixed, its a result of the side mounted configuration. With Apollo/Orion type capsules, or even a top mounted space plane, you can have an escape system that pulls the manned component off the top, and it's impossible to damage it with falling debris from other parts of the launch vehicle.

Also, the very idea of the reusable manned/cargo vehicle is inherently flawed. My personal favorite analogy is like deciding that you should buy a truck (instead of a truck and a small car) because you need to haul stuff around occasionally, with gas costing $1000 per gallon.

The new configuration, assuming it works as they say it will, is superior in l ways but one. The Ares V will have 130 m-T capability to LEO instead of the shuttles 24 m-T. The Orion capsule is in fact reusable, and while smaller than the shuttle, it doesn't make sense to launch the labs every time you go up. This goes with the idea that the ISS will become something useful. Having another tragedy like Columbia, while not only less likely, would also not cause a loss of our cargo capacity as well, which led to the current state of the ISS. The only real disadvantage is our inability to return things from orbit, and as far as I know we've never used that capability.