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View Full Version : Re: Will more shuttles be lost?


edward ohare
July 15th 03, 01:58 PM
On Tue, 15 Jul 2003 00:09:17 -0500, toto >
wrote:

>http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/15/national/nationalspecial/15SHUT.html
>
>WASHINGTON, July 14 — Even if NASA corrects the problem that
>doomed the Columbia, the agency is likely to lose more shuttles
>before the fleet reaches its planned retirement date of 2020,
>according to the draft of a study done for the Columbia Accident
>Investigation Board.
>
>"Given uncertainties about the full set of causes for the loss of
>Columbia and given unforeseen and unplanned aging issues, it is
>not obvious that the shuttle system will reach even a 30-year life of
>useful service," says the draft, written by the RAND Corporation.
>NASA hopes to fly the shuttles for 40 years.


They're on schedule, in a fashion, having lost two of four in about
twenty years.


> Other studies have concluded that the shuttle fleet is at risk of a
>high rate of catastrophic accidents. But this examination focuses
>much more closely on potential safety problems related to the
>shuttle fleet's age and is implicitly critical of NASA for not doing
>everything possible to monitor problems like rust and metal
>fatigue.


I disagree with "at risk of a high rate of catastropic accidents".
There's no "risk": the high rate has happened.

Hallerb
July 15th 03, 02:03 PM
>
>They're on schedule, in a fashion, having lost two of four in about
>twenty years.

What amazres me is the lack of a fast get emergency supplies to orbit for a
crippled orbiter.

Derek
July 15th 03, 05:39 PM
"edward ohare" > wrote in message
...
> On Tue, 15 Jul 2003 00:09:17 -0500, toto >
> wrote:

> They're on schedule, in a fashion, having lost two of four in about
> twenty years.
>

Don't you mean 2 of 5?

edward ohare
July 16th 03, 05:32 AM
On Tue, 15 Jul 2003 18:39:52 +0200, "Derek" > wrote:


>Don't you mean 2 of 5?


Ha! <G>

What I mean is, its obvious the shuttle fleet won't last 40 years even
without the issue of reduced durability due to aging.

Hallerb
July 16th 03, 12:55 PM
>
>What I mean is, its obvious the shuttle fleet won't last 40 years even
>without the issue of reduced durability due to aging.

Yes accidents will use them up before then:(