NASA Admits Landing Risks

[Celebration]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/080605dntexshuttle.42ff7940.html

Mission managers decided not to send an astronaut on a spacewalk to try to tie the blanket down or remove it because a spacewalk is dangerous, and they hadn't figured out how an astronaut could fix it.

"When in flight, many of your decisions are not absolute decisions. They are risk vs. risk decisions," Mr. Hale said. "You say which is riskier, going out and fooling around with this or coming on in given the knowledge we've got."

The first opportunity for landing is at 3:46 a.m. Dallas time Monday, but landing could be postponed a day or two or diverted to Edwards Air Force Base in California if Florida weather is bad.

Because Florida weather is changeable, officials said they won't know until shortly before re-entry. The preference is to land in Florida because it means NASA doesn't have to piggyback the shuttle from California on a 747 to prepare for the next flight.

[bemildred]

1. "Managers" dithering and worrying about their careers. nt

[Emperor_Norton_II]

2. So, this is how many "OMG THEY'RE DOOMED!" threads, now?

Just out of sheer curiousity. I lost track after the first ten or so on the first flight day...

[Celebration]

3. out of sheer curiosity

I would like the number of messages in the science forum that completely and totally mischaracterize the message to which they are responding.

[bemildred]

4. Hey, you know, you got this little boy with a hammer,

everything looks like a nail.

[rman]

5. Looks more like "omg WE're doomed",

since it is a NASA press release, and speculation and interpretation on part of the poster is completely absent.

[Desertrose]

6. Man, I just hope they make it safely......there is always risk

sometimes they just know a little more about the odds than other times.

Mr. Hale acknowledged "eerie" similarities between the decision to land Discovery and the decision to land Columbia. But he contends NASA has new tools and new attitudes that result in a much more complete analysis of potential problems.

"I've got to tell you, the difference between where we were before and where we are now is profound," he said.

Looks like they have done a lot of work on the problems...so I sure hope he's right.

But I did find this little part rather interesting.....

The dissent in ranks was brought to the attention of the Mission Management Team and fully discussed, Mr. Hale said, whereas during Columbia's mission dissent was squelched, the accident board said.

IMHO its never a good idea to squelch discussion...