The audacious rescue plan that might have saved space shuttle Columbia | Ars Technica

Posted by $ nickursis 10 years, 2 months ago to Science
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Interesting article describing how they "might" have done a rescue of Columbia before they lost her. Little discussed plan that was developed and some details on what changes were made to implement it if needed.

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  • Posted by $ johnrobert2 10 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Haven't yet. Saw a 'Bill Baldwin' in the Comments of the article Robbie50324 posted on the retail problem. Wondering.
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  • Posted by $ nickursis 10 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Robbie, I think it was the typical arrogant attitude of "we built it, we know it will work". The report indicated that there was a serious attitude issue after the loss, and that was several years after Challenger, which also was a result of bureaucratic arrogance. Columbia just was another hammer blow to their fragile egos. I don't think the average NASA dude was at fault, but the system of management had become Imperial in nature, and questioning was never encouraged. They knew of the foam thing, and gambled with every launch it would not bite them in the ass.
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  • Posted by Robbie53024 10 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    But why wouldn't that have been the SOP from the point where there were 2 shuttles available? That would just have seemed prudent.
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  • Posted by $ nickursis 10 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    According to the article, it became SOP after this report. NASA was tasked with creating such a plan, and they showed pictures of one of the very few times they had 2 shuttles on pads, when they sent up the last Hubble servicing mission, due to the fact it would never have been able to make the space station. I think NASA had watched "Marooned" once too many times and thought they could whip something up.
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  • Posted by $ nickursis 10 years, 2 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Thank you sir. I will look it up. Did you ever read the last book Crimson Tide? It was a real change in his story, almost disturbingly so.
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  • Posted by $ johnrobert2 10 years, 2 months ago
    Great Stuff. Read "The Martian" by Andy Weir. 'To ice, to snow, to Sodeskaya we go.'
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