NYT: Panel Says NASA Still Falls Short on (shuttle) Safety Issues

[DeepModem Mom]

Panel Says NASA Still Falls Short on Safety Issues
By JOHN SCHWARTZ
Published: June 28, 2005


WASHINGTON, June 27 - NASA has not fully met three crucial safety recommendations it agreed to fulfill before returning the shuttle fleet to orbit, an advisory panel to the space agency said on Monday.

The conclusions do not necessarily mean another delay for the mission of the Discovery, scheduled to launch as early as July 13. The agency is to decide on a launching date after a final "flight readiness review" later this week.

But the findings are an embarrassment for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration after two years of work to correct the problems that led to the loss of the shuttle Columbia and its crew of seven. The Discovery's return-to-flight mission has long been delayed as the agency has struggled to deal with the potential for lethal damage from ice or foam debris at liftoff....

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The members of the advisory panel, led by two former astronauts, emphasized that NASA had significantly improved safety in the two years since the disaster. They also said they were making no recommendation as to whether it was time for the shuttle to fly again....

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Those (three) recommendations included eliminating all debris from the shuttle's external tanks, completing a more precise analysis of the risks of debris to the shuttle, and ensuring the ability to repair damage in orbit. Progress has been made all around, but none of the three, which Mr. Covey called "the most technically demanding," have been fully met....


http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/science/28shuttle.html?hp&ex=1119931200&en=6c0a1302bbede16d&ei=5094&partner=homepage

[democracyindanger]

1. MARS!

[fortyfeetunder]

2. No surprise

When you have contractors who sole mi$$ion is on cost, then why should we expect anything different?

Hell no, ground the shuttle until NA$A and the contractors get their safety acts togethter.