My guess is that once she returns home to Houston, she’s finished as an astronaut.
And well she should be, her carelessness has cost the taxpayers millions of dollars.
And well she should be, her carelessness has cost the taxpayers millions of dollars.
I think the facts are somewhat in doubt, at least in the public reports. Other articles indicated that the grease gun malfunctioned in the tool case and she was trying to clean the other tools in the case when she lost control of the case. This was not a planned activity. She was obviously in error, but it may not have been as simple as described in this article.
“...My guess is that once she returns home to Houston, she’s finished as an astronaut....”
Probably true, but not for that reason. There are now at least nine more flights left in the Shuttle program. The next five have crews assigned to them. That leaves four crews to be assigned. Since Heidemarie has flown twice, the likelyhood of her getting another flight appears slim. there are other unflown astronauts that needs their shot at space. They should get it. What I said applies to a lot of flown astronauts. With twentyeight seat positions left, those that have flown the last few years could get no more assignments. Then there is the proposed five year gap between the Shuttle and Orion programs. Not many astros will hang on that long to get a ride on a rocket.