Reuters reports that NASA is pushing forward with their plan to lauch Discovery on July 1st, despite NASA’s top safety officer and lead engineer both opposing the flight. NASA Administrator Michael Griffin points out that if the Shuttle is damaged during launch, the astronauts can use the ISS as a haven.
Obviously I don’t have all the facts that Griffin does, but it seems irresponsible to me to overrule the safety officer and lead engineer. If they believe the Shuttle is still at significant risk of a catastrophic foam strike, it doesn’t seem like a good idea to risk the loss of a multi-billion dollar vehicle, even if the crew will survive.
NASA ignoring some concerns over Space Shuttle safety
Reuters reports that NASA is pushing forward with their plan to lauch Discovery on July 1st, despite NASA’s top safety officer and lead engineer both opposing the flight. NASA Administrator Michael Griffin points out that if the Shuttle is damaged during launch, the astronauts can use the ISS as a haven.
Obviously I don’t have all the facts that Griffin does, but it seems irresponsible to me to overrule the safety officer and lead engineer. If they believe the Shuttle is still at significant risk of a catastrophic foam strike, it doesn’t seem like a good idea to risk the loss of a multi-billion dollar vehicle, even if the crew will survive.