Houston, We Have a Drinking Problem

Pcol writes "Aviation Week reports that astronauts were allowed to fly on at least two occasions after flight surgeons and other astronauts warned they were so intoxicated that they posed a flight-safety risk. A review panel, convened in the wake of the Lisa Nowak arrest to review astronaut medical and psychological screening, also reported "heavy use of alcohol" by astronauts before launch, within the standard 12-hour "bottle to throttle" rule applied to NASA flight crew members. Dr. Jonathan Clark, a former NASA flight surgeon, says it's a tradition for crew members to gather for a barbecue on the eve of a shuttle launch, and these gatherings sometimes include alcohol and a toast but that the greater problem is that preparation before a flight can leave astronauts sleep-deprived and overworked. Meanwhile at Frenchie's Italian Restaurant, a popular astronaut hangout in Houston, owner Frankie Camera disputed the reports: "The Mercury astronauts may have been a little more wild (than later ones) but I did banquets for them and never really saw any of them drink so much they were out of control or drunk.""

Comments

NASA = Need Another Seven Astronauts

[GoatRavisher]

I can believe we continue to give money to these jokers. Most of the really innovative stuff is being done by private companies/individuals. Yet we keep pouring money into the NASA black hole.

Like the one that just killed three people?

[Flying pig]

Private companies killing three people just to try to get a nonorbital short flight to amuse the super-rich doesn't look very innovative to me. At least Mark Shuttleworth actually got to spend time in orbit - in a system built and maintained by NASA and its Russian counterpart. I venture to doubt that private companies will ever get as far as that. They are all basically in the "what can I do after I bought by SunSeeker" business.