My epiphany about NASA, before countdown or foam

From the Houston Chronicle op-ed section:

No, my epiphany came on Monday of last week, the day before the launch, when space agency officials said they were prepared to bend their safety rules to get the shuttle off the pad and into orbit.

That's when I knew that all the stuff NASA said in 1986 after the shuttle Challenger exploded during takeoff, and repeated in 2003 when the shuttle Columbia disintegrated during re-entry, was and is malarkey.

The fact that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was willing to launch Discovery without knowing why one of its fuel sensors was acting up and without knowing whether the problem had been fixed says it all: If it's not inconvenient, safety is important; but getting the shuttle launched is the driving force behind NASA's decisions.

Ironically, that same philosophy drove the Challenger's ill-fated launch in 1986. After repeated delays, and despite some concerns about low temperatures that morning, the agency OK'd the launch. Less than two minutes later, the seven astronauts aboard were dead.

An extensive investigation revealed weaknesses in NASA's decision-making and the fact that the agency's culture doesn't encourage its workers to voice doubts, fears and suspicions about flight readiness. NASA officials apologized and promised they'd change their ways.

Click here for the rest.

My thoughts exactly. I was also very troubled by the decision to launch without knowing what was up with the fuel sensors. Clearly, NASA, which has been for years in the sights of both liberal and conservative legislators seeking drastic funding cuts, is under a great deal of political pressure to produce results on the cheap. Obviously, that makes for slipshod work, which has already resulted in the deaths of two shuttle crews in less than two decades. As much as I love the space program, I cannot support such recklessness with our astronauts' lives. Congress needs to either get serious about supporting NASA, or just end manned space travel for good. I have no desire to see a third shuttle crew blasted to bits on television.

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