here's hoping.

NASA Sets Summer Shuttle Date

 

 
 

Page 1 of 1 

Breaking News from AP:

• 
  Parks Poll Method
  
• 
  Parks Poll Glance
  
• 
  Immigration costs strain national parks
  
• 
  New Orleans shootings may be drug-related
  
• 
  AP: Development inches toward nat'l parks
  

See Also

• Japan Probe Lands on Asteroid
• Space Elevator Low Down
• NASA Funds 'Miracle Polymer'
• NASA Follows X Prize Footsteps

Associated Press 05:43 AM Jun, 17, 2006

CAPE
CANAVERAL, Florida -- NASA managers on Saturday picked July 1 to launch
the first space shuttle in almost a year, despite recommendations
against a liftoff attempt by the space agency's chief engineer and
safety offices.

The decision to launch Discovery on a trip to the
international space station was made after two days of meetings by
NASA's top managers and engineers at the Kennedy Space Center. The
flight would be only the second shuttle mission since the Columbia disaster in 2003.

During a poll of top managers, representatives from NASA's Office of
Safety and Mission Assurance and the Office of the Chief Engineer
recommended against flying until further design changes are made to the
external fuel tank. Despite their recommendations, the dissenting
managers didn't object to making a launch, NASA officials said.

The ultimate decision to fly was made by NASA administrator Michael
Griffin, who said he would shut down the space shuttle program if there
was another vehicle lost like space shuttles Challenger and Columbia.

"The administrator ... has the obligation to decide. That's what I
do," Griffin said. "Our staff offices ... have the right, have the
obligation, have the utter necessity to tell us exactly what they
think. But all of that is advice."

The most contentious debate focused on whether the shuttle's
external tank should undergo further changes in 34 areas called
ice-frost ramps. About 35 pounds of foam already have been removed from
an area of the tank where a 1-pound piece fell off during last July's
launch of Discovery. NASA described it as the biggest aerodynamic change ever made to the shuttle's launch system.

Representatives from NASA's safety and chief engineer offices said
at the meeting that the shuttle shouldn't fly until the ice-frost ramps
are redesigned.

A large piece of flying foam from where the external tank connects to the shuttle, not the ice-frost ramps, struck a wing of Columbia during its launch in 2003, allowing fiery gases to enter the shuttle and kill the seven-member crew during descent.

Griffin said the decision to fly poses no risk to Discovery's
seven astronauts because NASA has devised new inspection and repair
techniques to the shuttle, and as a last resort the astronauts could
stay at the international space station until a rescue shuttle arrives.

The pieces that have come off the ice-frost ramps in the past have
been small, and NASA plans to redesign the ice-frost ramps in the
future so that they won't pose hazards, Griffin said. NASA leaders also
have said the shuttle should fly with only one major modification to
the tank at a time.

"I think it is acceptable for a number of reasons to go fly for a
limited number of flights until we come up with a new design," said
Wayne Hale, shuttle program manager.

NASA's three shuttles are scheduled to be grounded in 2010, once the
international space station is constructed. Postponing the launch past
July, might cause schedule pressure in three or four years for
completing the space station, Griffin said.

The board that investigated the Columbia accident said schedule pressure by managers was a contributing factor to the disaster.

"I don't want to get us into a situation where by being more
cautious than I think technically is necessary today, we wind up having
to execute six flights in the last year," Griffin said. "That's not
smart."