HARDCORE
05-24-2003, 01:36 PM
(A tale of political intrigue and expediency!)
NASA (North American Space Agency) is now saying (again) that NASA could have made a rescue try! A lot of good that does the seven doomed astronauts!? As a matter of fact, and in their (NASAs) own words: ?Sending Second Shuttle Deemed Not Impossible!? And to quote Admiral Harold Gehman Jr., the Chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board: ?Such A Rescue Would Have Been Technically Feasible!
To further quote, this time one ?Sean O?Keefe, NASA Administrator?, ?I would Have Seriously Considered sending Atlantis to the Astronaut?s Rescue, even if it meant losing another shuttle and crew!? Of course this is all hindsight and excuses, considering the fact that it was known that a chunk of insulation had broken free and struck the vessel upon take-off.
This in itself, should have sounded the old mental alarm and made the crews, ground and flight, realize just how damned lucky the Columbia was to make it into orbit to begin with. To even attempt the return flight with a damaged craft was playing a game of ?Double Russian Roulette!?
Why again was it that with all of the equipment and supplies lifted into space, no one thought to provide an envelope of survivability? Spare air canisters and scrubbers, emergency food and water, and most of all, a means or plan for inspecting and/or repairing shuttles before re-entry for damage or other problems? Hell, my 20 year old son came up with this idea seconds after the disaster, and he is but a 3rd year student in University Aeronautics!
Was it arrogance or complacency, or maybe even apathy, on the part of NASA, a few in government, or others, perhaps that led to these fatal decisions on February 1, 2003? And if so, what prevented them from at least saying thank-you or acknowledging the patriotism and burgeoning talent of that American kid, and all like him!? Nothing as earth-shaking as landing on a flat-top, mind you, but at least a letter of thanks to the lad and his nationally-known university for producing the talented future engineers of America! That would have been inexpensive, and certainly the actions of an appreciative man (opinion)!
Or maybe, as in most cases, some prima donnas have adopted the ?Old Soviet Line? of utter bull shit? ?You do remember how anything worthwhile that was invented or thought of in America - ?The Russians Claimed To Have Thought Of It First!??
If NASA indeed claims this, then why did seven more astronauts die without this idea being implemented? ?Now that?s integrity for you !?? THIS WAS NAUGHT BUT POLITICAL AND CREATIVE DISHONESTY, IN MY OPINION, ESPECIALLY WHEN DIRECTED AT THE FUTURE OF OUR NATION - IT?S TALENTED YOUTH!!?
But then as a member of a congressman?s staff once told me: ?It?s all just good business and politics as usual!? (God save us from some of these political icons!!)
Oh, and for the record, most of these extremely talented youngsters will soon (if not already) be of voting age. That includes those who are now learning all about ?Politics As Usual!!
VERITAS INFINITUM :t:
NASA (North American Space Agency) is now saying (again) that NASA could have made a rescue try! A lot of good that does the seven doomed astronauts!? As a matter of fact, and in their (NASAs) own words: ?Sending Second Shuttle Deemed Not Impossible!? And to quote Admiral Harold Gehman Jr., the Chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board: ?Such A Rescue Would Have Been Technically Feasible!
To further quote, this time one ?Sean O?Keefe, NASA Administrator?, ?I would Have Seriously Considered sending Atlantis to the Astronaut?s Rescue, even if it meant losing another shuttle and crew!? Of course this is all hindsight and excuses, considering the fact that it was known that a chunk of insulation had broken free and struck the vessel upon take-off.
This in itself, should have sounded the old mental alarm and made the crews, ground and flight, realize just how damned lucky the Columbia was to make it into orbit to begin with. To even attempt the return flight with a damaged craft was playing a game of ?Double Russian Roulette!?
Why again was it that with all of the equipment and supplies lifted into space, no one thought to provide an envelope of survivability? Spare air canisters and scrubbers, emergency food and water, and most of all, a means or plan for inspecting and/or repairing shuttles before re-entry for damage or other problems? Hell, my 20 year old son came up with this idea seconds after the disaster, and he is but a 3rd year student in University Aeronautics!
Was it arrogance or complacency, or maybe even apathy, on the part of NASA, a few in government, or others, perhaps that led to these fatal decisions on February 1, 2003? And if so, what prevented them from at least saying thank-you or acknowledging the patriotism and burgeoning talent of that American kid, and all like him!? Nothing as earth-shaking as landing on a flat-top, mind you, but at least a letter of thanks to the lad and his nationally-known university for producing the talented future engineers of America! That would have been inexpensive, and certainly the actions of an appreciative man (opinion)!
Or maybe, as in most cases, some prima donnas have adopted the ?Old Soviet Line? of utter bull shit? ?You do remember how anything worthwhile that was invented or thought of in America - ?The Russians Claimed To Have Thought Of It First!??
If NASA indeed claims this, then why did seven more astronauts die without this idea being implemented? ?Now that?s integrity for you !?? THIS WAS NAUGHT BUT POLITICAL AND CREATIVE DISHONESTY, IN MY OPINION, ESPECIALLY WHEN DIRECTED AT THE FUTURE OF OUR NATION - IT?S TALENTED YOUTH!!?
But then as a member of a congressman?s staff once told me: ?It?s all just good business and politics as usual!? (God save us from some of these political icons!!)
Oh, and for the record, most of these extremely talented youngsters will soon (if not already) be of voting age. That includes those who are now learning all about ?Politics As Usual!!
VERITAS INFINITUM :t: