An Accident Waiting To Happen? (Clinton Blamed)

CBS NEWS ^ | 2 feb 03 | Ed bradly

[Crossbow Eel]

(CBS) The investigation into the disaster that killed all seven astronauts aboard the shuttle Columbia is just starting, but already there are serious concerns being raised about whether the loss was a freak occurrence or accident waiting to happen.

60 Minutes Correspondent Ed Bradley reports an aerospace advisory panel told Congress last year that the repeated postponement of safety upgrades inevitably increased risks of operating the space shuttle. The panel at that time claimed that NASA's approach to safety was planting the seeds for future danger.

Marcia Smith, senior analyst for space policy research for the U.S. Congress, says some of the warnings had to do with work-force issues and how the engineers and technicians who have worked on these aging spacecraft since the 1970s are retiring or moving into other jobs.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., who flew a space shuttle mission before the Challenger disaster in 1986, has been warning congress for years about unsafe conditions on the shuttle conditions caused by a lack of funding. He told Bradley the Clinton administration has been starving NASA for a decade.

"It's incredible that the needed safety upgrades to the space shuttle have been delayed and dragged out," he said.

Bradley asked Bill Readdy, assistant NASA administrator, whether Columbia’s tragedy had anything to do with budget cuts. "Quite frankly," Readdy told him, "we don't know exactly what happened over Texas yesterday and so we really couldn't speculate on that."

Many people are now asking questions about a piece of insulation that fell off the shuttle's fuel tank during the launch and hit its left wing. During the mission, NASA didn't think it was a cause for concern. And according to most people in NASA, launch has always been considered the most dangerous portion of the flight, especially since the Challenger exploded on takeoff in 1986. Until Now, the shuttle had never had a problem landing.

"Launch is what's terrifying," said a former astronaut. "If I had to rate a scale one to ten the fear factor of a whole shuttle profile, from one to ten I would put launch at eleven and up in orbit a one or two, fairly relaxed, and then on reentry maybe a three or four."

The shuttle fleet is grounded until NASA can assure that the remaining orbiters are safe. The shuttle is scheduled to service both the international space station, which has three astronauts on board, and the Hubbel space telescope in the next year. But those missions aren't the only questions facing NASA.

In the issue of manned space flight versus unmanned space flight, many believe the risks involved are not worth the benefits. Others say human beings are essential to space exploration. There also is the question of whether humans are needed to get budget dollars from Congress.

Whatever the reason for this disaster, the facts will be revealed in coming months as the families and countrymen of the seven astronauts mourn their loss and ponder the future.

[Crossbow Eel]

WEll, well, well !

[Crossbow Eel]

"Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., who flew a space shuttle mission before the Challenger disaster in 1986, has been warning congress for years about unsafe conditions on the shuttle conditions caused by a lack of funding. He told Bradley the Clinton administration has been starving NASA for a decade.

[Dimensio]

Have there been any bad things in the past ten years that cannot be blamed on Clinton?

[Crossbow Eel]

"Have there been any bad things in the past ten years that cannot be blamed on Clinton? "

It's a short list !

[america-rules]

I thought "Clinton" 5 minutes after the accident. I remember there was alot of flak about his cuts back about 3-4 years ago !

[End The Hypocrisy]

Here's a somewhat related (and very popular) thread inspired by

http://www.NASAWatch.INFO :

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/834387/posts

"Is it fair to blame the Bush Administration for the Shuttle mess inherited from Clinton?"

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

"Have there been any bad things in the past ten years that cannot be blamed on Clinton? "

Mariano Rivera giving up two runs in the last inning of the seventh game of the 2001 World Series. I'd blame Clinton, but he was out of office.

[hole_n_one]

I thought "Clinton" 5 minutes after the accident

Given your over active imagination, what took you so long?

[america-rules]

No matter what this accident wasn't caused by money. The shuttle was just overhauled 100% so it's not a money issue.

[Kryptonite]

Have there been any bad things in the past ten years that cannot be blamed on Clinton?

Well, he visited Lambeau Field after the Packers won the Super Bowl, and then, the next year, the Packers lost the Super Bowl. Hard as I try, I can't blame that on Klintoon.

But, it is nice to see a demonrat splaying Klintoon for gutting NASA, especially since efforts are simultaneously underway to blame Bush for this.

[Paul Atreides]

Just wait until we hear from Her Thighness that Chelsea was jogging around the runway when the shuttle exploded. Then, we can hear Chelsea tell about how the first thing she thought of, when the shuttle exploded, was the Bush tax cuts. I'm surprised that Bubba didn't hop a plane to the grieving families so that he could grope every widow and look through his eyebrows to make sure that the camera was filming him feeling everyone's pain.

[Ramius]

While it certainly wouldn't break my heart to pin *anything* on the Klinton administration, I'm going to wait on this one.

Nomatter what, the claim can always be made that funding could have been better. Of course.

After more than 40 years of space travel, there has never been a re-entry catastrophe like this, even in cases where there was a high level of apprehension of it like the case of Apollo 13.

Before the fingers get to pointing, it is essential that we first find out what happened. This is a *new* problem, and it may very well turn out to be something that, funding or not, was not yet in the algorithm. I have a sneaking feeling that this will turn out to be something "unexpected" (duh) but even more than that: it looks like something that hadn't been figured into the models before.

[Dimensio]

I sliced my foot open rather badly in 1999. I know that it's Clinton's fault, but I'm not exactly sure how...

[zarf]

Bravo dear sir!!

[ffusco]

Ummmm.....The comeback of capri pants had nothing to do with Bill Clinton.

[jraven]

I continue to be amazed how my fellow conservatives consistently shoot themselves in the foot by blaming every single thing that goes wrong on Clinton. I didn't like the guy, am very happy he is gone. But, you know, things CAN go wrong on a REPUBLICAN'S watch as well because public servants are not perfect and they are human beings. It seems every single thing is blamed on Clinton. If I'm getting tired of it (it's call not facing up to responsibility) I can just imagine what independent voters are thinking. SO: anything that is good (even if it happened in another administration) is due to Republicans. Anything that is bad (even if it during a GOP administration and two years into a president's term) has nothing to do with the Republican administration at all -- it is all due to the Democrats.
I think also that some partisan mistake trying to find answers with trying to undermine "their" team (akin to loyalty to a sports team).
And I guess Hillary is the one who glued in the tiles. Right?

[JulieRNR21]

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., who flew a space shuttle mission before the Challenger disaster in 1986, has been warning congress for years about unsafe conditions on the shuttle conditions caused by a lack of funding. He told Bradley the Clinton administration has been starving NASA for a decade.

Amazing that he actually named Clinton.......pinging FL Freepers

[dts32041]

Your correct things can go wrong on a republican watch, klintoon got elected.

[giznort]

I just knew it. Lambeau Field has been compromised. We must have an exorcism NOW and cast out the filth and vermon from this foul, evil person.

You have to try harder: Yes, you CAN blame Clinton/Klintoon a/k/a low-life scum-sucking pig.

[Karsus]

And yet none of the GOPers in Congress thought enough of the space program to put the money back into NASA.

Face it, there is enought blame to go around.