Astronauts should speak up

If it were not such serious business you would swear the latest NASA
Press Conference, carried live on NASA TV, was a Saturday Night Live
skit.

The Shuttle Engineering Team, some of the nation's foremost technical
folks, declared that they are not ready to launch the orbiter Discovery
on 1 July and that more time is needed to make fixes for the insulation
problems on the external tank.

But NASA's chief administer, paraphrasing Dubya's recent "I am a
decider" utterance, announced he was over-ruling the engineers and
approving the launch date. He was quick to announce, however, that if
we lost the vehicle now, he will shut down the whole program.

Seems to me we lost a vehicle before when the warning of shuttle
engineers went into the deaf ears of NASA management. I would love to
see the astronauts join their ground-based comrades for unity and
refuse to ride until the engineers declare the mission a "Go."

AL STERN Satellite Beach FL
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FloridaMilcom/

wrote:
If it were not such serious business you would swear the latest NASA
Press Conference, carried live on NASA TV, was a Saturday Night Live
skit.

The Shuttle Engineering Team, some of the nation's foremost technical
folks, declared that they are not ready to launch the orbiter
Discovery on 1 July and that more time is needed to make fixes for
the insulation problems on the external tank.

But NASA's chief administer, paraphrasing Dubya's recent "I am a
decider" utterance, announced he was over-ruling the engineers and
approving the launch date. He was quick to announce, however, that if
we lost the vehicle now, he will shut down the whole program.

Seems to me we lost a vehicle before when the warning of shuttle
engineers went into the deaf ears of NASA management. I would love to
see the astronauts join their ground-based comrades for unity and
refuse to ride until the engineers declare the mission a "Go."

AL STERN Satellite Beach FL
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FloridaMilcom/

Well, Haveing heard what seems to me to be disagreement about the ice frost
ramp foam, I feel that the engineers may well be being extra doom mongering.
An engineer wants all things sorted and nice and tidy, whereas the admin
want results.

The question to ask is would these bits of foam cause the loss of a vehicle.

Having listened and read, I'm not sure anyone would stick their neck out and
say yes, but if the question is about potential damage, then yes is also the
answer.

In other words, I do feel that they are in danger of saying that now we have
the tools to get at these things, lets take a bold decision.

With regard to the Astronauts. I would have thought if any of them felt
they were in more danger, they would shout foul.

However, that would be common sense, and that is not something I often
associate with mission planning criteria!

Tongue in cheek of course.

Brian
--
Brian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: email.
graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
Email:
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wrote in message
oups.com...
If it were not such serious business you would swear the latest NASA
Press Conference, carried live on NASA TV, was a Saturday Night Live
skit.

The Shuttle Engineering Team, some of the nation's foremost technical
folks, declared that they are not ready to launch the orbiter Discovery
on 1 July and that more time is needed to make fixes for the insulation
problems on the external tank.

But NASA's chief administer, paraphrasing Dubya's recent "I am a
decider" utterance, announced he was over-ruling the engineers and
approving the launch date. He was quick to announce, however, that if
we lost the vehicle now, he will shut down the whole program.

Seems to me we lost a vehicle before when the warning of shuttle
engineers went into the deaf ears of NASA management. I would love to
see the astronauts join their ground-based comrades for unity and
refuse to ride until the engineers declare the mission a "Go."

AL STERN Satellite Beach FL
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FloridaMilcom/


The engineers, battered by criticism and haunted by the prospect of being
blamed for a potential mishap, will never give the OK.

This is the time when the leader has to actually show leadership and
override the understandably cautious engineers.

....

"Why don't you fix your little problem and light this candle?"
Alan B. Shepard Jr. 5 May 1961.

IF Griffin were REALLY doing his job!

Well the foam is questionable, and the last redesign may have made it
worse

Its altogether possible we may get a shuttle stuck at station

For this reason the next shuttle will launch with at most a crew of 3
to make surviving at station easier on consumables and equiptement.

This would leave the ISS with 5 people, 3 could de orbit immediately if
necessary the remaing crew of 2 would have no lifeboat till the next
soyuz goes up...

Mark my words we are going to lose abnother vehicle and the final
safety board will site as the primary cause the 2010 ebd date...

I can see launching but not with a full crew.

one is risk the other stupidity.........

I AGREE some astronauts familys should pressure their loved ones to
back out, and resign....

Thats better than mourning their loss.

If my wife were going I would tell her...

quit or were divorced

"Bob Haller" wrote in message
oups.com...
I AGREE some astronauts familys should pressure their loved ones to
back out, and resign....

That's nice. And you know what, that's a personal decision for the families
involved. Perhaps they've had that discussion, perhaps not. But to argue
that they "should" is a bit presumptuous.



Thats better than mourning their loss.

If my wife were going I would tell her...

quit or were divorced

And if I were your wife, I'd drink the poison.

Hey its likely the astronauts have children. Another accident with a
completely failed safety culture effects much more than the dead
person. wives family friends children etc.

worse yet a fatal accident weill likely gut man from nasa permanetely...

In article .com,
(Bob Haller) wrote:

*From:* "Bob Haller"
*Date:* 19 Jun 2006 06:03:37 -0700

Hey its likely the astronauts have children. Another accident with a
completely failed safety culture effects much more than the dead
person. wives family friends children etc.

worse yet a fatal accident weill likely gut man from nasa
permanetely...



It doesn't "effect" anything although it might _affect_ the families and
others. And so: it is still their decision not yours.

If I was offered a seat on the next shuttle, paid or unpaid, and I
decided I wanted to go, my wife and family would say "go for it, Dad".

So stop making up other people's minds for them and let them make their
own decisions on their own lives.

M

Sorry but after the columbia accident yet another who cares attitude
would JUST effect the shuttle it will rocket thru nasa and congress.
The public will see space travel as unsafe, management as inadquate,
and gut or close nasa altoghther.

Being the agency its become putting jobs above safety perhaps its time
everyone here who works directly or indirectly lose their job, but why
chance it??

for the short term of mid 2006 to mid 2010.

just 4 years.... to unnecessarily risk astronaut lives for the almighty
buck....

" wrote:

But NASA's chief administer, paraphrasing Dubya's recent "I am a
decider" utterance, announced he was over-ruling the engineers and
approving the launch date. He was quick to announce, however, that if
we lost the vehicle now, he will shut down the whole program.

That's the short version that is innocent of any connection to the
facts of the matter or reality.

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.

-Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
Oct 5th, 2004 JDL