March 22, 2004
Schedule Slip?

More trouble with the hangar queens: NASA: Shuttles Need Extensive Tail Repairs

Beutel said it takes many months of work to remove the actuators and install new ones. Michael Kostelnik, NASA deputy associate administrator for the space shuttle and space station programs, told the NASA Advisory Council at a March 10 meeting in Huntsville, Ala. that the space agency was considering a repair option that, if all did not go well, could delay the shuttle’s return to flight as much as nine months beyond next March.

Posted by T.L. James on March 22, 2004 09:05 PM

Comments

Question -

If the orbiters are being stripped down to make a comprehensive determination of whether other parts are corroded or other parts are installed backwards, how different is that from the re-certification process needed to extend operations past 2010?

This question addresses (IMHO) the fundamentally irrational decision to finish ISS solely with orbiter (and under an artificial deadline) and then scrap orbiter AFTER re-building the fool things.

I see two rational choices:

Finish ISS with a combination of shuttle derived and orbiter and then phase out orbiter with shuttle derived becoming an integral part of Project Constellation.

=OR=

Cancel ISS/STS outright, TODAY, and never fly orbiter again. Move all STS money into Constellation as soon as possible.



Posted by: Bill White at March 25, 2004 09:54 AM