[AppyPappy]

No, the official excuse is now space debris. Ignore the foam that started causing trouble after environmental regulations affected it. That is not it.

[ewing]

And would Bill Clinton be involved with enforcing those enviornmental regulations perhaps?

[spokeshave]

" Ignore the foam that started causing trouble after environmental regulations affected it. That is not it." /sarcasm

[ez]

No, the official excuse is now space debris.

They really better not try that one after all we've learned.

[Fred Mertz]

No, the official excuse is now space debris.

I notice that they are trying to keep the focus on anything and everything that happened after the Columbia was launched, not prior to the decision to go to countdown. Maybe that is the right thing to do, but that's my observation FWIW.

[dasboot]

Yup, the shuttle has been hit by lightening and meteorites today. All kinds of obfuscationary BS being floated. IT WAS BIGFOOT! yadda.....

I can reasonably assume the relevance of the emails escaped the gentleman until, as was mentioned before, at the press conference, DintyMoore told a little less than the truth.

Prior to that, the communications would not have been thought to be a big deal; and , hence, the delay.

[Sundog]

I read this morning where the technicians applying the glue for the tiles figured out that it would setup faster if they spit on it, after they spread it on the tiles and before they put it on the metal. The report indicated that this was true, but it also didn't make the bond as strong. The tiles were tested afterwards with a 'wiggle test', but only a few technicians knew how to do that correctly. The tiles were wiggled after they had some time to setup to see if they came loose.

Does any home handyman know what happens to a glue joint if you spit on it and wiggle it after it has setup for a time?

...Hmmmmm?...

[P-Marlowe]

No, the official excuse is now space debris

Right and I believe that like I believed their "don't touch the shuttle remains, they could be toxic" baloney. I am losing all faith in NASA telling us the truth about anything. They tried to bury the Challenger cause, now their trying to bury this one. Maybe its time to find a new space agency.