The Space Shuttle: should it fly again?

[jay gw]

MIAMI (Reuters) - The space shuttle Discovery has begun its crawl to a launch pad, after a crack in insulating foam brieflydelayed the significant step in NASA's two-year quest to return the shuttle fleet to flight.

The roll-out, taking place at barely 1 mile per hour (1.6 kph) and expected to last six hours, was delayed by more than anhour after a technician spotted a hairline crack in the foam on the shuttle's external fuel tank.

Falling foam ripped a hole in Shuttle Columbia's wing in 2003, condemning its seven-man crew to death when thespacecraft disintegrated on re-entry, in the second fatal disaster to hit the shuttle program.

NASA consulted experts from the tank-manufacturing facility in New Orleans to determine if repairs were needed toDiscovery, then continued the shuttle's transfer on its giant platform to the launch pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida.

"They said the crack was so small it didn't need to be dealt with and we could fly as is," said Kennedy Space Centrespokesman Bruce Buckingham.

The roll-out was one of the last major steps before Discovery's launch, set between May 15 and June 3, a "window" that willallow it to rendezvous with the International Space Station.

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Oh boy. If a single thing goes wrong this time, much less a catastrophe, it'll be grounded for the rest of your lifetimes.

 

[Zep]

Good luck!

I happen to think that the shuttle and space operations are seriously cool and useful technology, and should be further developed. It's always been a dangerous "industry" though.

 

[Bodhi Dharma Zen]

The only real problem for the space program is when they try to get picky with costs. The thechnology is there, the minds are there, the equipments are there. But in an economical based society, no more can be done.

 

[Rob Lister]

The only real problem for the space program is when they try to get picky with costs. The thechnology is there, the minds are there, the equipments are there. But in an economical based society, no more can be done.

That's NOT the only problem. It was cool idea, and cool counts for keeping the public entertained and keeping the funding rolling in, but cool doesn't get you there cheaper, faster, or safer. Regardless of the intitial design hype, the shuttle is not cheap, it is not fast (turn-around), and it is not safe by any stretch of the imagination. Sure, I'd take the risk and fly in one if I had the chance but that's the cool factor once again overriding logic and good sense.

This article from Time is interesting

 

[davefoc]

I voted yes, but that misrepresents my views a bit.

I think the space shuttle should be used to support the international space station where it is required.

The idea of the space shuttle appears to be obsolete.

Cargo that needs to get into space should be delivered with unmanned rockets. It seems to be far cheaper and far safer than manned cargo ships like the shuttle.

If we are going to continue to send people into space smaller, safer manned craft which can meet up with cargo already put there by unmanned craft seems like the right idea.

So I would phase out the shuttle program as quickly as possible while maintaining US commitments to the international space station.

 

[a_unique_person]

That's NOT the only problem. It was cool idea, and cool counts for keeping the public entertained and keeping the funding rolling in, but cool doesn't get you there cheaper, faster, or safer. Regardless of the intitial design hype, the shuttle is not cheap, it is not fast (turn-around), and it is not safe by any stretch of the imagination. Sure, I'd take the risk and fly in one if I had the chance but that's the cool factor once again overriding logic and good sense.

This article from Time is interesting

One of the best things about the USA is NASA. The Space Shuttle is flawed, but anything that was the first implementation of the idea behind the shuttle was bound to be.

 

[Correa Neto]

My biased opinion is yes, for sure. However, since the money for it does not come from my taxes, I may not be the best person to give an opinion. And if I were american, I would like to see more of my tax money used for space exploration.

BTW, I think its replacement should be closer to come in to existence.