tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post7060394933369393064..comments2023-10-18T08:43:10.620-04:00Comments on The Flame Trench space news and analysis: Please, don't rush this jobC Perezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13916832810035419167noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-14036025337084982212009-07-01T09:47:17.199-04:002009-07-01T09:47:17.199-04:00Mr. Kelly, I commend your effort, in this attempt ...Mr. Kelly, I commend your effort, in this attempt at getting the public involved in this forum! Hopefully, this will get the attention of the policy makers in Washington, that drive & fund the shuttle program.<br />Do they(politicians) really believe, in the current policicital situation of the past couple of years, that the Russians are really going to live up to the agreements made to be thomas bissellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-37861669536743075792009-04-28T17:35:00.000-04:002009-04-28T17:35:00.000-04:00Whether the date is arbitrary is not the issue. T...Whether the date is arbitrary is not the issue. The fact is that date was chosen several years ago. Suppliers that were under contract to maintain an inventory of spare parts were given notice of contract termination, as were the companies that provided various types of support. Plans were made to retire support facilities and allocate their space to other purposes. The shuttle fleet was the Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-86366241067611932022009-04-28T10:19:00.000-04:002009-04-28T10:19:00.000-04:00Thanks for the comment, and I completely agree wit...Thanks for the comment, and I completely agree with your reporting philosophy. I don't think we always have a positive spin. The earlier comment suggests we actually do too much "gloom and doom." But readers here often provide information that isn't offered by PAO, and that's always appreciated.James Deanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04281583966575320064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-5314615672030665982009-04-27T19:35:00.000-04:002009-04-27T19:35:00.000-04:00James Dean -- You asked someone to "contact me wi...James Dean -- You asked someone to "contact me with any additional info on the wrench mishap. We got ours from NASA's press office." <br /><br />I would suggest that what you described is exactly what is wrong with Florida TODAY's reporting on the Space program -- you expect to be spoon fed by NASA PAO, and you are likely NOT going to get the straight story there. You need to get out in the Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-2621404616904697702009-04-27T18:10:00.000-04:002009-04-27T18:10:00.000-04:00If you were to go back and read through the flight...If you were to go back and read through the flight transcripts and mission reports of all of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo flights you would find quite a few close calls. It's almost a miracle that no crews were lost in flight, only on the ground (Apollo 1). To call the Shuttle a "Killing Machine" is a bit disingenuous. If the earlier programs had flown the same number of missions as the Bruce In KCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-68578008094502793652009-04-27T16:18:00.000-04:002009-04-27T16:18:00.000-04:00It appears that we have saddled ourselves again wi...It appears that we have saddled ourselves again with an arbitrary date, and we have signed up to a characterization of the Shuttle that mis-interprets various documents. <br /><br />The date was NOT chosen to complete the Station but to retire the Shuttle on an arbitrary date after the Bush administration was safely over. To "complete" the Station - there is not a specific date. We should CharlesTheSpaceGuynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-61184275282021459432009-04-27T14:02:00.000-04:002009-04-27T14:02:00.000-04:00John: Above you seem to suggest the shuttle might ...John: Above you seem to suggest the shuttle might or might be as safe as the Constellation turns out to be. I respectfully believe you are skipping past the basic fact that the shuttle is a glider and the new system is like Apollo. The shuttles over the years have had delay after (costly) delay after delay, mostly due to it being a glider and the emergency return-to-launch scenario, plus delays Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-35079372980305998372009-04-27T13:25:00.000-04:002009-04-27T13:25:00.000-04:00We've been consistently reporting a net job loss o...We've been consistently reporting a net job loss of 3,500 from Kennedy Space Center during the transition. If you're talking about overstating job loss numbers, you must mean someone else.John Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04065607079350698475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-82205722660618823712009-04-27T12:34:00.000-04:002009-04-27T12:34:00.000-04:00Anonymous: please contact me with any additional i...Anonymous: please contact me with any additional info on the wrench mishap. We got ours from NASA's press office. Thanks, James Dean, 321-639-3644, jdean@floridatoday.comJames Deanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04281583966575320064noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-67615106622508591772009-04-27T11:55:00.000-04:002009-04-27T11:55:00.000-04:00If FLORIDA TODAY plans on high-lighting the Space ...If FLORIDA TODAY plans on high-lighting the Space Program, please focus on two things: First, include in your article the correct information regarding any incident at KSC. The incident regarding the dropped socket was incompletely reported in your paper and did not include the facts about this mishap. <br /><br />Second, FLORIDA TODAY is obviously selling papers with gloom and doom stories Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-45585930315847359882009-04-27T11:48:00.000-04:002009-04-27T11:48:00.000-04:00Milk it Baby, Milk it!Milk it Baby, Milk it!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-30660558459909745942009-04-27T11:39:00.000-04:002009-04-27T11:39:00.000-04:00We keep seeing the space shuttle characterized in ...We keep seeing the space shuttle characterized in terms like "killing machine" or "too dangerous." That's hyperbole. It overstates shuttle's weaknesses in the extreme. The problem with saying "retire the shuttle because it's unsafe" is that any human spacecraft will be dangerous. Flying people in space, by definition, bears risk. Without a couple decades of data to prove it, I'm not willing to John Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04065607079350698475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-46699869697038098892009-04-27T11:19:00.000-04:002009-04-27T11:19:00.000-04:00Rather than fly the Killing Machine 9 more times, ...Rather than fly the Killing Machine 9 more times, they should simply end the shuttle program after the Hubble mission. The ISS is a complete waste of money and time; it's taught us nothing about travelling to Mars, except how to work with international partners. Its occupants spend most of their time just maintaining that $100 Billion boondoggle.<br /><br />Get on with Constellation right now.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-62788422248561342502009-04-27T11:08:00.000-04:002009-04-27T11:08:00.000-04:00John,
In your article you mentioned two significa...John,<br /><br />In your article you mentioned two significant items. One is the fact that the President has reneged on his campaign promised to give NASA his total support – by failing to appoint a new NASA Administrator during his first hundred days. Until he does that the agency is floating along in a rudderless condition and no significant decisions can be made. Shame on him.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-56011897436353961642009-04-27T10:10:00.000-04:002009-04-27T10:10:00.000-04:00I think they have got it backwards. Instead of a ...I think they have got it backwards. Instead of a fixed retirement date, The official word should be "nine more flights, then no more." If it takes until 2011 or 2012 to fly these flights in a prudent, safe manner - so be it.Bruce In KCnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-41285268999815552982009-04-27T09:52:00.000-04:002009-04-27T09:52:00.000-04:00Rick,
Of course, as always. Any ideas you've got ...Rick,<br /><br />Of course, as always. Any ideas you've got are welcome.<br /><br />JohnJohn Kellyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04065607079350698475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-21121252908737526112009-04-27T08:19:00.000-04:002009-04-27T08:19:00.000-04:00Obama will delay ,delay ,delay picking a new head ...Obama will delay ,delay ,delay picking a new head . But then he will pick one and and he will be hailed as a prescient savior as usual . Kinda like the Pirates thing .<br /> They need the shuttle to finish the station .Fly it until that's done be it 2011 or 2013 .Then keep it on standby with enough people to push it out and fly it in a risky emergency until they get Ares(or something like AresAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-58313374395456768322009-04-27T08:16:00.000-04:002009-04-27T08:16:00.000-04:00We need to somehow tie the Shuttle Program with th...We need to somehow tie the Shuttle Program with the oil industry or pharmaceutical industry and I bet congress could find all kinds of money to keep the shuttles flying beyond 2010. Congress found 30 billion to send over to Africa to fight AIDS, but they cant find 5 billion to spend here in America to keep America the leader in space. I think we need to retire the people in Congress, NOT the Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-17095480542815078952009-04-27T07:23:00.000-04:002009-04-27T07:23:00.000-04:00IF I remember, two of the remaining flights were f...IF I remember, two of the remaining flights were for spart parts for the Station. Can they be flown up via unmanned Soyuz? That would be safer and you could then delete those flights if required. Also, they are talking about an extra flight to put that new telescope in orbit. I believe that flight is very important, and should move to the top of the list, as the telescope can only be launched viaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-5332414551887672622009-04-26T21:08:00.000-04:002009-04-26T21:08:00.000-04:00I agree, some good investigative reporting is dear...I agree, some good investigative reporting is dearly needed. Corruption and Incompetence are everywhere out here. How about starting with the added cost of all these 'accidents'- the dropping of the wrench at the pad this past week, the lightbulb fiasco from last year in the SSPF, the dropped window cover that fell onto the OMS pod the night before STS-114 returned us to flight or the multiple Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-64811846091020239742009-04-26T17:13:00.000-04:002009-04-26T17:13:00.000-04:00Wow, 9 shuttle launches in 19 months? That's enoug...Wow, 9 shuttle launches in 19 months? That's enough to give any NASA administrator heartburn.<br /><br />You are right to draw conclusions with the period before Columbia, unfortunately I think NASA became *too* confident about their prowess in space and overlooked too many factors in 2004.<br /><br />I don't think the last few shuttle flights should be working toward <I>any</I> kind of deadline Ian O'Neillhttp://www.astroengine.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19394281.post-59713961107172215752009-04-26T16:08:00.000-04:002009-04-26T16:08:00.000-04:00Dear Mr. Kelly:
Interesting column. Would you be...Dear Mr. Kelly:<br /><br />Interesting column. Would you be willing to entertain suggestions for future columns?<br /><br />Perhaps some of your valued and cherished readers could suggest column topics that you could focus your investigatory skills on like a "laser".<br /><br />Looking forwards to the next one.<br /><br />Rick Steele<br />SarasotaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com