Bolden: third shuttle flight would be safe

NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden today reiterated a commitment to fly a third shuttle mission this year and said the agency has determined the mission would be safe.

The 2010 NASA Authorization Act requests the flight pending an assessment of its safety, which Bolden said is not yet final. Since no rescue shuttle would be available, the mission dubbed STS-135 would rely in Soyuz spacecraft to gradually return crew members from the International Space Station.

Speaking at an AIAA conference in Orlando, Bolden, a four-time shuttle flyer, discussed the shuttle's "huge benefit to society" and sadness that the program was coming an end.

But he said he was excited about efforts to build up a commercial capability to provide access to low Earth orbit for cargo and people, saying it would allow NASA to focus on a sustainable exploration program.

Answering a question from the audience, Bolden offered assurance Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station would remain the hub of U.S. human spaceflight for the foreseeable future.

IMAGE: NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden spoke on the "Space Shuttle Era -- Results and Way Ahead" during the 49th AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting's New Horizons Forum. Credit: Michael R. Brown, FLORIDA TODAY