LA Times editorial: Abort this space shuttle mission

[DeepModem Mom]

EDITORIAL
Abort this space shuttle mission
Why NASA should keep Discovery grounded on Saturday.
June 29, 2006

CRITICS OFTEN COMPLAIN THAT NASA is good only at fixing its last problem. That's too generous. The agency plans to launch the space shuttle Discovery on Saturday despite warnings that it still hasn't fixed the problem that killed seven astronauts aboard the shuttle Columbia in 2003.

What NASA hasn't been able to solve is the shuttle's perplexing habit of shedding pieces of foam that insulate its external fuel tank during launch. In February 2003, one such piece slammed into Columbia's wing as it lifted off, punching a hole in the orbiter's protective heat shield. During the shuttle's fiery reentry, that hole allowed superheated gas to act like a blowtorch on Columbia's wing, causing the craft to incinerate in the atmosphere above Texas. The problem resurfaced when an errant foam chunk was spotted during Discovery's most recent launch almost a year ago.

Instead of risking another tragic or humiliating setback Saturday, NASA should abandon the shuttle and focus on more productive missions.

The shuttle was intended as a reusable spacecraft that would require only routine maintenance between missions. But NASA has been working on the foam problem for more than three years. It's becoming increasingly clear that the issue with the shuttle isn't age but a design flaw....

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Each shuttle mission costs about $450 million for a few days in low-Earth orbit. An awe-inspiring blastoff by Discovery on Saturday could make many people forget about the price. But it won't change the fact that the shuttle is an unsafe, expensive way for humans to explore space just a few hundred miles above Earth. The problem with the shuttle isn't chunks of foam, it's the shuttle itself. NASA should mothball the program and put the nation's scientific and technological expertise to better use.

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-ed-shuttle29jun29,0,1564017.story?coll=la-home-commentary

[blogslut]

1. I'm praying for rain

We renamed our airport after Rick Husband. I don't want any other city or family going through that hell.