Nasa grounds space shuttles

BBC News Online ^ | 6/25/02 | Dr David Whitehouse

[mhking]

Uh - don't we like have crew in orbit on board the ISS? (Yes, I know there is a Soyuz docked there, but I would still feel much more comfortable with a NASA option a well)

[Pining_4_TX]

Nasa grounds space shuttles

And the taxpayers rejoiced! We'll be spared a few multi-million dollar experiments on newts in space or whatever.

[TrappedInLiberalHell]

The American space agency Nasa has grounded its space shuttle fleet indefinitely after finding small cracks in fuel pipes in the main engines of two shuttles.

Well, at least we know we won't have any major earthquakes in the meantime (if you've seen the movie "Conspiracy Theory", you'll know the reference).

[RoughDobermann]

Ping!

[Dimensio]

I thought that they had automated all of that through satellites.

Uh-oh, better get rid of my $100 bills before they find out I said that...

[Tai_Chung]

Subsequent testing found other cracks in both Atlantis, which is 17 years old, and Discovery, which is 19. Columbia, the oldest of the four shuttles in the fleet at 21 years old, is to be inspected.

What is the estimated life expectancy of a space shuttle?

[piasa]

Ping before the flat earth society completely infests the thread

[EBUCK]

And the taxpayers rejoiced! We'll be spared a few multi-million dollar experiments on newts in space or whatever.

Care to guess what the cost of inspecting and reasearching the problem is? Probably will cost us time and a half of actual missions.

EBUCK

[EBUCK]

I'm thinking 21 years (Columbia) is the current life expectancy. Next year if the Columbia is still flying (rocketing/gliding) it'll be 22 I'd imagine.....LOL

EBUCK

[No Truce With Kings]

I have just accepted a job offer from Boeing in Houston, doing Shuttle analysis work.

My nightmare scenario has been losing a Shuttle before I was a Boeing employee, and having the offer yanked when NASA instituted a hiring freeze.

At least that cannot happen now.

[GeneD]

Space shuttles may fly till 2040

[biblewonk]

Almost everything NASA does is a waste of money.

[EBUCK]

Great link! Thanks for the info. I didn't know that the RLV was so far behind and I certianly didn't know that the Shuttles were supposed to have a shelf life of 60 years!

EBUCK

[Calvin Locke]

And the taxpayers rejoiced!

Uh, what about the storage costs for the now obsolete GoreSat? A megabuck/year. AND the possibility
that they'll be able to refurbish it and orbit it.

I wouldn't go out and spend any savings...

[Guennie]

#14....oh for goodness sakes, can you support that statement !:(

[leadpenny]

. . don't we like have crew in orbit on board the ISS?

Yes. There has been a crew (not the same people) on the ISS for about a year and a half.

(Yes, I know there is a Soyuz docked there, but I would still feel much more comfortable with a NASA option a well)

Don't believe anything is docked there now. Endeavour just came back last week. I think she will be delayed for her next flight because they had to put her down at Edwards.

[Pining_4_TX]

Ooh! You guys really destroyed my temporary glimmer of hope! :)

[terilyn]

Ummm...

What third world people?