Columbia Marked by Delay, Faults

Washington Post ^ | 02/23/03 | Mary Pat Flaherty, Sara Kehaulani Goo, David S. Hilzenrath and James V. Grimaldi

[Pokey78]

Space Shuttle Exempted From Some Maintenance

For years before it broke apart in the skies over Texas, the space shuttle Columbia was beset by recurring problems, glitches and close calls.

In 20 of its 28 missions, the first in 1981, Columbia experienced mechanical or technical problems at launch or in orbit. Those problems caused Columbia to have more flight delays than any other orbiter, a review of thousands of pages of NASA documents and interviews show.

While nobody is yet sure what caused Columbia's catastrophic ending this month, between 1996 and 1999 the orbiter had at least five "escapes" -- a NASA term for a mission that flew with a problem that only "luck or providence" prevented from causing serious damage. On another launch, a worker made what NASA calls a "diving catch," meaning his diligence caught a flaw routine checks had missed.

[snopercod]

Columbia was nicknamed "The Penguin".

[snopercod]

If anybody wants to read the article without visiting the Washington f#@!&ing Post, [click here].

[aristeides]

I don't see a mention here of the change in the foam.

[TLBSHOW]

For years before it broke apart in the skies over Texas, the space shuttle Columbia was beset by recurring problems, glitches and close calls.

,,,

I seem to recall a certain Don Nelson that warned of this and some low end person at the WH didn't even tell the President.