Early shuttle retirement

[radarredux]

A new round of murmurs on accelerating the shuttle retirement in the news today.<br /><br />The gist of the first/primary article is:<br />(1) Retire one of the shuttles in 2007 (leaving 2)<br />(2) Retire a second shuttle in 2009 (leaving 1)<br />(3) Retire remaining shuttle in 2010<br />(4) Reduce the number of flights (and ISS configuration)<br />(5) Redirect the money to accelerate the VSE<br /><br />Other configurations are being looked at. The 60-day study of the shuttle retirement and the VSE plan (including the CEV) (which are intimately connected) probably won't be announced until Discovery returns to home.<br /><br /><br />NASA and White House Discuss Early Shuttle Fleet Retirement<br />Frank Sietzen, Jr. and Keith L. Cowing<br />http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1048<br /><br /><br />Scuttle The Shuttle Says Space Frontier Foundation- Space Shuttle is a Waste of Taxpayer Funds<br />http://www.spacedaily.com/news/oped-05zp.html<br /><br /><br />Has the shuttle peaked?<br />http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8546818/#050713a

 

[wvbraun]

So far Griffin is following (or is trying to follow) the plan he laid out in the Planetary Society report.

 

[crix]

Additionally, the announcement that we can now buy Soyuz flights. Strangely, this would seem to support the continued presence or possibility of "the gap." Maybe this is a strategic neccesity or safety need for when we have only one shuttle remaining?

 

[shuttle_rtf]

I wonder on the order too. I remember seeing on the (now all but dead) 28 mission mandate than the youngest Orbiter, Endeavour, would actually retire first, as she is due for her next round of the major overhaul that she's currently undergoing by about 2008/9.