NASA picks July 1 for shuttle flight

Yahoo News ^ | June 17, 2006 | MIKE SCHNEIDER, Associated Press Writer

[Chi-townChief]

NASA managers on Saturday picked July 1 to launch the first space shuttle in almost a year for a test-flight mission that will try out inspection methods and repairs that were devised following the Columbia disaster.

The launch of the seven crew members aboard Discovery in early July improved the chances that the 12-day mission would be extended by a day to add an important third spacewalk. The launch date was picked after two days of meetings by scores of NASA's top managers and engineers at the Kennedy Space Center.

The most contentious debate at the meeting focused on whether the shuttle's external tank should undergo further changes in 34 areas called ice-frost ramps. About 35 pounds of foam already have been removed from an area of the tank where a 1-pound piece of foam fell off during last July's launch of Discovery. NASA described it as the aerodynamic change ever made to the shuttle's launch system.

Some members of NASA's safety office said at the meeting that the shuttle shouldn't fly until more foam around the ice-frost ramps are removed. Top managers, however, countered that the shuttle should fly with only one major modification to the tank at a time.

"At the end of the day, some people had reservations and they expressed their reservations," said Wayne Hale, NASA's space shuttle program manager.

Flying foam off the external tank struck a wing of Columbia during its launch in 2003, allowing fiery gases to enter the shuttle and kill the seven-member crew members during descent.

[Chi-townChief]

I think we'll all be holding our d**ks watching this one! (please pardon the vulgarity)

[OldFriend]

OY

[JRios1968]

I don't know you, but I will be crossing my fingers.

[Bommer]

More like holding our wallets. Sorry, buy this is nothing more than NASA wasting the taxpayers money! Whats the mission this time? The effect of zero gravity on rat turds?

1903 - 1969 - 63 years from the first flight to landing on the moon!

1977 - 2006 - Almost 30 years of a gliding truck.

[GatorGirl]

I'll be in Cocoa Beach that weekend.

I can't wait to see that sight!

[Chi-townChief]

That too!

[Chi-townChief]

Cocoa Beach = great town!

[Peach]

Ping to this article, Two Thirds.

[Springman]

I want to hold my keyboard instead!!

lp, ping.

[JRios1968]

Whats the mission this time? The effect of zero gravity on rat turds?

Good news, everyone! The rat turd study will be on the following Shuttle mission!

[mgstarr]

All of the NASA brass should be sacked. Pathetic bureaucrats with no true cognition of what built that agency. I'll take Scaled Composites and SpaceX over these hacks any day. Bring back Chris Kraft and his ilk.

[isthisnickcool]

I bet it won't fly. Which is a good thing if it happens because the shuttle should not be flying ever again.

[Howlin]

Ping!

[Ticonderoga34]

Big weekend for central Florida that weekend with the Pepsi 400 being run on July 2 at Daytona and the space shuttle being launched on July 1. Wish I could be there.

[PAR35]

1903 - 1969 - 63 years

With math skills like that, you could get a job designing satellites for NASA. < insert obligatory comment about publik skulez here >

[newzjunkey]

I'm still waiting for arrests and prosecutions in the Columbia fiasco.

[Bommer]

Your right. I made a mistake. 66 years! Thank you kind Math Nazi.

[realpatriot]

"Your right. I made a mistake. 66 years! Thank you kind Math Nazi."

It's "you're right."

grammar nazi :)

[Bommer]

DAMMIT! I was saving that for PAR35!

[SkyPilot]

Someone take the Space Shuttle program behind the back of the woodshed and give it a double tap to the head.