Monday, May 01, 2006

Space Shuttle: Fingers Crossed

An article on nasaspaceflight.com reports that engineers from Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) were strongly in favor of postponing the Space Shuttle's July flight (designated STS-121) in order to allow further modifications to the external tank (ET) to preclude damage to the orbiter from foam shedding. At the recent Program Requirements Control Board meeting, it was decided to go ahead with the modifications made so far, as the mission was sufficiently safe and would provide real-flight data on the current version of the ET. Future tanks will have more safety-related modifications in place.

COMMENT: I'm neither an engineer nor a Shuttle program veteran. Moreover, I've always said that the risk of spaceflight can never be zero, and we have to accept that if we are to explore the Solar System. All that said, IF this article is accurate and not taking things out of context, it bothers me a lot that NASA would opt to override the objections of the engineers most familiar with the ET. It also makes me wonder if "schedule pressure" is once again, even if unconsciously, edging back into NASA decision-making.

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