Space Shuttle Fleet Grounded!

NASA sources | MB26

[MindBender26]

NASA realizes debris that fell of external fuel tank yesterday came close to causing irrepairable damage to shuttle now in orbit.

Fleet GROUNDED. More later

Chances to return to flight again, no better than 50/50.

[Max7]

Son of an "arrowhead"? What is that graphic you posted?

[MindBender26]

WE BEAT MSM, AND EVERYONE ELSE BY 5 MINUTES (ETERNITY IN THE NEWS BUSINESS) AND YOU TAKE IT OUT OF BREAKING?

IT IS STORY OF DAY ON ALL NATIONAL NEWS PROGRAMS AND MAY HAVE 3/10 DAY LEGS.

THIS WILL MAKE MAJOR LAYOFFS IN SPACE/DEFENSE INDUSTIRES NATIONWIDE, LOSS OF CONFIDENCE IN OTHER AREAS, DELAY PREZ'S MOON/MARS PROGRAMS BY 8/10 YEARS MIMIMUM, AND YOU DON'T THINK IT IS BREAKING NEWS?

IS FR SO UNSURE OF ITSELF THAT WE ONLY POST OTHER'S WORK ONCE IT HAS BEEN BROADCAST/PUBLISHED ELSEWHERE?

[michigander]

.

[null and void]

It could happen, but they will never admit it!

[houeto]

WE BEAT MSM, AND EVERYONE ELSE BY 5 MINUTES (ETERNITY IN THE NEWS BUSINESS) AND YOU TAKE IT OUT OF BREAKING?

What gives? This caught my eye immediately!!

[moondoggie]

I just got a "breaking news" update from Rocky Mountain News in my email.

Same info.

[Nowhere Man]

It's the end of the Space Shuttle fleet, and that's a promise.

What now? X-33 program resurrected?

Sometimes I think we should have kept Apollo.

[The SISU kid]

BTTT

[houeto]

It's still in '"Breaking".

[Yardstick]

You're right. NASA's inability to keep the foam from falling off the fuel tank remind's me of GM's inability to keep its headliners from coming loose after 50,000 or so miles (actually GM seems to have fixed this on their newer models).

[Michael Goldsberry]

"AND YOU TAKE IT OUT OF BREAKING?"

... nothing to do with your commentary in the headline, to be sure...

[MindBender26]

> Why would they "need to abandon ship"? You're now just blowing hysteria smoke out your butt. This shuttle arrived in orbit with far less damage than most any of the previous ones.

Very senior source at KSC says they are far from sure about ship's condition. ISS has always been contingency plan.

On Conf Call this PM when, when one senior person said "I'm 99% sure that....." the other lead's did not even let her finish. Some upline from her yelled "YOU WERE 100% SURE THEY WOULD BE NO FOAM DISPLACEMENT IN THE BOOST PHASE!"

[RckyRaCoCo]

The dude they had on in the earlier press conference used those words a couple of times, with a few hell's thrown in for good measure. Seemed to have a bit of an attitude. Shortly afterward they brought in the calmly (portly) gentleman to lighten things up a bit. Not a good sign IMHO.

Then again mediawhores are always looking for blood and bodies...sells more newspapers.

[Lead Moderator]

I restored it to breaking.

[Diddle E. Squat]

Apollo 13.

[MindBender26]

You da Man.... Sorry about "yelling" It was my ego, not my mind, talking

[Cboldt]

But what does this mean, they are grounded?

My guess is that "grounded" means no more liftoffs until the problem of shedding foam is resolved. Reports appear to indicate that Discovery was not hurt by that piece of foam shed. Detail inspection of Discovery is scheduled for later, and an decisions relating to re-entry of Discovery were planned to wait until that examination anyway.

[Lead Moderator]

You da Man.... Sorry about "yelling"

N/p. ;)

[RightWhale]

GM's inability to keep its headliners from coming loose after 50,000 or so miles

Oh, it isn't only Dodge products?