Bad Year for NASA - So Far

edkyle98 · May 31, 2007

It hasn't been NASA's best year. First the Lisa Nowak/Bill Oefelein deal, then reports that Ares I/Orion might not work, then the strange anonymous complaints about Marsha Ivins, then Griffin's NPR interview fiasco that produced the headline "NASA Administrator Doesn't Think Global Warming is a Problem". Not to mention the fact that NASA hasn't been able to launch a single space shuttle to date, with the nation's human spaceflight efforts embarrassingly stalled for months, at great cost, by a single hail storm. NASA has only seen two unmanned scientific spacecraft launches this year - THEMIS in February and AIM on a Pegasus in April. Low productivity but much scandal. Not a good start for the U.S. taxpayers. Maybe things will improve during the remainder of 2007. - Ed Kyle

3488 · May 31, 2007

Well I hope beyond hope that both DAWN & Mars Phoenix Lander are launched on time & without incident. Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

edkyle98 · May 31, 2007

Yes, NASA could end up having a good 2007 if (1) it avoids further scandal, (2) it doesn't hail on another shuttle, and (3) it succeeds in flying its currently planned missions for the remainder of the year. According to www.spaceflightnow.com these include four space shuttle missions and three Delta II-boosted scientific spacecraft. The latter include as you mentioned the DAWN ion-drive asteroid visitor and the PHOENIX Mars lander. Here's hoping. - Ed Kyle

no_way · May 31, 2007

four shuttle launches in seven remaining months ? color me sceptical.

holmec · May 31, 2007

>color me sceptical.< Sceptical....is that close to fusia? try 6 months. Its the 31st of May you know. Yeah there's a lot to do for NASA for the next 6 months to do. I was also going to comment on space activities so far have been pretty slow, except for the SpaceX demo flight. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "SCE to AUX" - John Aaron, curiosity pays off </div>

pathfinder_01 · May 31, 2007

Low productivity but much scandal. Not a good start for the U.S. taxpayers. Maybe things will improve during the remainder of 2007.â€ Well with only three shuttles and a requirement that one be on standby productivity is going to go down quite a bit. Normally Nasa would have took in the hail damaged shuttle and probably brought out a different shuttle for a different flight.

no_way · Jun 1, 2007

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=8071&start=136&posts=140

qso1 · Jun 1, 2007

no_way: four shuttle launches in seven remaining months ? color me sceptical. Me: Its possible...there were 9 flights in 1985. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> My borrowed quote for the time being:There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened. </div>

no_way · Jun 1, 2007

this is just a general comment. 1985 was 22 years ago. we didnt have cellphones or dilbert back then. somehow, i think a lot has changed on how we do things.

lunatic133 · Jun 1, 2007

I agree that it hasn't been the best year so far hence my lack of posting ... It seemed like for the longest time whenever I mentioned I was interested in NASA or space exploration, people would say "Oh really, where's your diaper, har har" *eyeroll* Though the whole story does more or less confirm my suspicions about anyone named Lisa-Marie (no offense if that's your name!). And yes there were a lot of flights in 85 but that was pre-Challenger and certainly pre-Columbia, so they didn't have near the safety restrictions then that they do now. Still if they did pull it off, that would be pretty amazing.

no_way · Jun 1, 2007

<blockquote>In reply to:<hr />Like to make a wager? <hr /></blockquote> Yes, actually. I'd word it so : space shuttle does not make four or more trips to orbit and back without catastrophic accidents in year 2007. I propose we arrange stuff so that the one that loses orders something from Amazon to others address, that ok with you ? If you are a Stanley Kubrick fan i'd suggest this as a nice item to bet on http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Kubrick-Collection/dp/B00005ASUK/ref=sr_1_2/105-7319131-3204421 I'll order it for you as soon as the fourth shuttle has safely landed in 2007 , or you order it for me in January 2008 , deal ? If yes, we can excange shipping addresses in private.

jimfromnsf · Jun 1, 2007

" Normally Nasa would have took in the hail damaged shuttle and probably brought out a different shuttle for a different flight." It can't because the payloads have to fly in order

baktothemoon · Jun 1, 2007

Doesn't nasa have the facilities and resources to prep two shuttles for launch at the same time? Why couldn't they have just sent the next shuttle after atlantis out to the other pad and launched it while waiting for repairs to be done on atlantis? Or is it imperitive that the flights procede in sequential order as planned?

MeteorWayne · Jun 1, 2007

Well no, right now the ET's arrive just in time for assembly of the Launch on Demand vehicle to be available for the current flight. As I understand it, they have SRB segements ahead of current need, but the External Tanks are the current limiting factor. The flights do need to proceed in order for ISS assembly. There's no popint in bringing up parts you can't use yet. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

radarredux · Jun 1, 2007

> Like to make a wager?/i> I thought you never collected on your last bet. (was it RTF?)

no_way · Jun 1, 2007

ok, how about that set instead: http://www.amazon.com/Voyage-Planets-Beyond-Hyperspace-Suchet/dp/B0007Z0O0Y/

larper · Jun 1, 2007

I'd like to make a wager: We see a shuttle flight in 2012. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Vote Libertarian </div>

holmec · Jun 2, 2007

>Its possible...there were 9 flights in 1985.< Weather permitting. Hurricane season seems to be starting early. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "SCE to AUX" - John Aaron, curiosity pays off </div>

MeteorWayne · Jun 2, 2007

This was sort of addressed during the May 31 STS-117 FRR news conference. Someone asked about the upcoming rain from Barry. The answer (sorry my notes don't show who replied <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /> ) was basically, shouldn't be a problem with repairs or processing. "We need the rain" MW <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

spacefire · Jun 3, 2007

you forgot the shooting at JSC. <img src="/images/icons/frown.gif" /> bummer year indeed. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> http://asteroid-invasion.blogspot.comhttp://www.solvengineer.com/asteroid-invasion.html </div>

qso1 · Jun 4, 2007

no_way: this is just a general comment. 1985 was 22 years ago. Me: Though it is a general comment, the fact remains, the shuttle was flown 9 times that year so it is possible to fly all 4 planned missions this year. Even if that does not happen, and I would agree its less likely to as time goes on...whats the big deal? So we don't get four missions. The shuttle is scheduled to retire in 2010 so its not like there is really some big need to keep it to an arbitrary number of flights. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> My borrowed quote for the time being:There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened. </div>

qso1 · Jun 4, 2007

holmec: Weather permitting. Hurricane season seems to be starting early. Me: That would certainly put a damper on the flight rate. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> My borrowed quote for the time being:There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened. </div>

vulture2 · Jun 4, 2007

>>we have to have a launch on need (rescue) Shuttle that is available to launch within 70 days or so of each launch. A rescue shuttle would have been the only way to reach Columbia, with its low inclination. However now that all the shuttle flights are to the ISS, why couldn't contingency crew return (in the event of Shuttle damage) be carried out with additional Soyuz flights? Way back in ASTP the concept that one country could rescue crewmembers from another was one of the main reasons for an international program.

no_way · Jun 4, 2007

s_g, we have a wager then. the fourth flight, Atlantis sts-122 seems to be currently scheduled for Dec 6. If that happens, you will get that DVD set as christmas present from me.

dragon04 · Jun 4, 2007

Though it is a general comment, the fact remains, the shuttle was flown 9 times that year so it is possible to fly all 4 planned missions this year. How many operational Orbiters were in the fleet in 1985? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "2012.. Year of the Dragon!! Get on the Dragon Wagon!". </div>

Bad Year for NASA - So Far

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