Yuto Shinagawa wrote:
I think NASA has come a long way during the last two and a half years. From
the public's perspective, nothing can be a more obvious demonstrator of that
than the upcoming lunch. But the one thing I don't like is how NASA
officials keep self-assuring themselves that they have raised the safety
standards of a space launch. ...

I think that the decision to end the shuttle program
early, in 2010, tells us all we need to know about
what NASA thinks about shuttle's inherent safety,
especially given Griffin's commitment to shut it
down. Some Congressmen are trying to make him keep
shuttle flying longer than he wants!

- Ed Kyle