[anymouse]

The foam during the Columbia disaster was replacement over "environmental" issues. The original foam had not exhibited a tendency to break off. Have they reverted to the original foam, or are they still risking people's lives over Global Warming?

NASA is an agency of the federal government - what do you think they are doing? /sarcasm

All they did was not pack as much foam between the ET bi-pod strut mounts. They also put some kind of mesh embedded in the foam.

It is still a crappy solution, hamstrung by blind obedience to pseudoscience that claims CFCs like Freon are significantly affecting the ozone layer in the upper atmosphere.

Never mind that the "ozone hole" is nearly closed up again due to global cyclic changes having nothing to do with CFCs or human intervention at all.

[auboy]

I still love my '86 4Runner, but I'm not planning to take it into Earth orbit. Why are we still using old space craft in 2005? Did budget cuts have anything to do with a technology standstill? We went to the Moon and back (with a few really close calls) several times starting in 1969. That was 36 years ago.

I'd like to strap some environmentally friendly foam to Big Al and send him into orbit.