BREAKING NEWS: SHUTTLE PROGRAM GROUNDED

[wx247]

The shuttle program is being grounded until engineers determine the severity of the impact of debris that fell from the shuttle Discovery during blastoff Tuesday, NASA says. More soon.

-- This coming from CNN.com!

[Brent]

Same kind of thing doomed Columbia... this is not good. How are they supposed to get back to earth now???

[P.K.]

There is always the escape pod on the ISS, but you don't want to be using that.

[Pebbles]

Watch NASA TV... it's NOT PRETTY! People are unhappy to say the LEAST

[Brent]

OK... this is not Columbia. There isn't damage to the tiles so there's very little chance it would come apart during re-entry. This is to fix the stuff that might be able to hurt the shuttle during liftoff. The Discovery will likely be able to land when it's scheduled to.

[Pebbles]

I'm so FRUSTRATED. We need to explore in space.. I really believe that... and this gives more of a wedge to those that think we shouldn't be doing this.

[Brent]

:wall: I'm so FRUSTRATED. We need to explore in space.. I really believe that... and this gives more of a wedge to those that think we shouldn't be doing this.

We need to explore space... but it's time to dump the shuttles. If we're going to Mars in a few decades, we need something new, something for the 21st century that won't be constantly plagued by problems. The shuttles are about done anyway... in another few years that probably would have been it, but I honestly think this may end it.

[HurryKane]

Man, those folks over in Michoud must be messing their pants in a big way.

The shuttle crew pored over the bird today to see if there was any damage, and apparently haven't found any...and they get another chance to look later in the mission when they go do backflips for the ISS to take pictures of their belly.

[Josephine96]

I don't entirely agree with this decision..

This IMHO is not another Columbia set up.. The chunk of foam that fell off allegedly fell away from the shuttle, not on it..

I personally think that they are trying to do just what they don't want us to do.. Panic or get a false sense of security..

I understand playing it safe.. but this is not a columbia type situation..

[jkt21787]

I don't entirely agree with this decision..

This IMHO is not another Columbia set up.. The chunk of foam that fell off allegedly fell away from the shuttle, not on it..

I personally think that they are trying to do just what they don't want us to do.. Panic or get a false sense of security..

I understand playing it safe.. but this is not a columbia type situation..

It missed this time, but it didn't with Columbia, and who's to say it won't next time, which is why there won't be a next time until its been fixed.

Discovery will be safe, but if I were NASA, I would definitely hold off anything else until more investigation can be done.

[canegrl04]

The problem is,it was FOAM that fell off.Luckily this time it did not damage the shuttle,like it did Columbia.Untill they fix this problem,its not safe to continue with other flights

I think they need to discontinue the shuttle program NOW instead of 2010

[senorpepr]

Okay... here's my opinion: yes, these spacecraft are getting fairly old. I'm surprised a newer model hasn't been released yet to replace the aging fleet. However, the "damage" during Discovery is really minute.

In my opinion, this is an overreaction from the Columbia disaster because this is the first über-videographed flight. Each flight the shuttle gets hits by debris. The tile that was damaged was about a 1.5" piece... not the entire tile. Over the past 24 years, nearly 15,000 tiles have been damaged.

As for the crew aloft now... I don't see any reason to keep them up there, unless laser analysis over the underside indicates more damage. Otherwise, they should be safe to enter the atmosphere.

[Pebbles]

:wall: I'm so FRUSTRATED. We need to explore in space.. I really believe that... and this gives more of a wedge to those that think we shouldn't be doing this.

We need to explore space... but it's time to dump the shuttles. If we're going to Mars in a few decades, we need something new, something for the 21st century that won't be constantly plagued by problems. The shuttles are about done anyway... in another few years that probably would have been it, but I honestly think this may end it.

You know.. starting to begin to agree. Maybe we need to just scrap the shuttles (as painful as it is) and direct all the time and energy into more constructive directions like a better/different manned space vehicle. BUT... then it's like throwing the international space station to the wolves. A goal I felt even more important then getting to mars. I felt that would of been a feat all mankind could of been proud of instead of just one country. Something we so need with the state of the world being what it is right now.

[HurryKane]

Here's some info about the (currently) planned replacement for the shuttle:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crew_Exploration_Vehicle


More about the shuttle itself:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_shuttle#Retrospect


Here's an image of where the chunk came from (photo credit to AP/NASA)
http://tinyurl.com/agjrq

[kevin]

The ISS is a stupid idea. It will not help science. It will not help international good feelings. Its so close to earth, and such a dump, and it sucks up billions of dollars that could be spent either doing science or planning better exploration missions.

[HurryKane]

The ISS is a stupid idea. It will not help science. It will not help international good feelings. Its so close to earth, and such a dump, and it sucks up billions of dollars that could be spent either doing science or planning better exploration missions.

It's the only place we can get any data on the effects of very-long-term low/zero gravity on the human body--something we'll need in the future for any manned missions that go past the moon.

[Hurricaneman]

I dont like where this might go

[P.K.]

If we're going to Mars in a few decades, we need something new, something for the 21st century that won't be constantly plagued by problems.

Well we got Beagle 2 to Mars, the problem was once it was there. Good thing is I believe they are trying again if they can get the funding.

[Brent]

If we're going to Mars in a few decades, we need something new, something for the 21st century that won't be constantly plagued by problems.

Well we got Beagle 2 to Mars, the problem was once it was there. Good thing is I believe they are trying again if they can get the funding.

They are talking about sending people to Mars...

[Hurricaneman]

How can they think about sending people to Mars when they cant even avoid trouble getting in orbit