NASA's next step?

SJ Mercury News ^ | 2/9/03 | Bruce Murray

[NormsRevenge]

Within hours of Columbia's fiery end, NASA leadership and Washington politicians were declaring in no uncertain terms that, yes, human exploration of space must continue.

It has often been in emotional and politically charged moments such as this one that NASA's course has been charted. From its start, NASA has been as much about patriotism and pride as science.

[snopercod]

It has always frosted me that NASA's response to the Challenger disaster was to cut the launch rate. The obvious implication was that the "overworked KSC employees" had made some kind of error which caused the accident.

As we now know, the error was with the NASA (so-called)management, who overruled the Thiokol engineers who were alarmed that the O-rings might not function in 25degF temperatures.

I was at KSC at the time, working 60 hours per week and loving it. (I was on-console for the 51-L launch.) There was never any problem with quality.

But NASA did everything possible to blame their failures on us KSC people, but thanks to the late Richard Feynman, their little plan didn't work.

I have no doubt that NASA HQ and JSC are going to try the same thing again with Columbia.

[SteveH]

However, it does appear from the record that midwinter launches are the most dangerous. To avoid midwinter, as one strategy, one would have to cut the launch rate somewhat. It is already slow, but if speeding it up becomes too dangerous...

It would be interesting if they could send up automated shuttles in midwinter; that could keep up the launch rate but might not risk human lives as much.

[NormsRevenge]

Isn't there some guy who is all set to launch himself into space? He is privately funded. It may work.. and he is spending a pittance compared to what the govt would say need be spent... Makes ya wonder sometimes?

[First_Salute]

Bump.