[NormsRevenge]

NASA: http://spaceflight.nasa.gov

[wastedyears]

I wouldn’t agree.

[cripplecreek]

But a Nobel Prize-winning physicist who served on the Columbia investigation board four years ago, Stanford University's Douglas Osheroff, questioned NASA's hesitancy to perform the repairs since they "can only increase their chances of making it down."

I don't see why NASA is going to invent a fix and not use it,"

Mr prize winning physicist apparently isn't trained in risk assessment. Unneeded spacewalks are an unnecessary risk to fix a tile in that area. After all, the loss of whole tiles on the underbelly of the shuttle were once common.

[MediaMole]

I’ve got a bad feeling about this.

[Jaysun]

Great. God help that Tom Jode sh*twagon get back safely. I’m still waiting to hear from NASA on who sabotaged the computer before launch.

[G Larry]

I think they’re wrong!

I pray that I am!

[lexington minuteman 1775]

If this shuttle burns up on re-entry fire NASA executives and charge them with murder. How hard would it be to send them out to put that goo stuff in the hole? I know EVA’s are dangerous..but so is a ship coming in with damaged heat tiles.

[ricks_place]

NASA cannot afford Space Shuttle repair costs. The administrators have spent their funds on bogus Global Warming research!

[vigilante2]

Aluminum melts at 1220 degrees F

The reentry temperatures to the bottom side of the shuttle exceeds 2000 degrees

[Bryan24]

Some of you know that I work at NASA. Marshal Space Flight Center in Huntsville.

Marshal is responsible for the External Tank, Boosters and the Engines.

First, the Tank Managers should have fixed this back in the 80’s when it was first found. THere are no excuses.

I was privy to a brief part of a conversation amongst the highest echelons of NASA management about this latest tile problem.

I wouldn’t want to be on that shuttle. I fear this is being addressed the same old NASA Management way.

[RobbyS]

On a wing and a prayer?

[PAR35]

Well, NASA wants to retire the shuttle anyway. If I were up there, I think I’d want a second opinion.

[diogenes ghost]

Just damn.

How secure would you feel knowing that management was "cautiously optomistic" that you would survive your work day?

If I were up there and heard that phrase, I'd put my puckered lips between my knees, so's to be in the proper position when needed.

[Fitzcarraldo]

Maybe they could leave half the astronauts on the station and just have the pilots bring it back.

[Fitzcarraldo]

The massive amount of data indicated Endeavour would suffer no serious structural damage during next week's re-entry.

assuming the tests reflected all conditions of the damage on the shuttle...a dangerous assumption

[Grig]

Geez, I’d have them do the repair just for the psychological benefit to the crew and the value of doing a ‘dry run’ of the process, not to mention the CYA factor.

[CholeraJoe]

100% of the Shuttles that have crashed had women on board. This one does, too. Let’s get ready for another crispy re-entry over the southern US.