Space shuttle problems...

[clips]

I don\'t understand why this thing keeps fallin\' apart everytime they go up there....even tho the damage is not that great, it\'s at that same area i believe the previous shuttle\'s flight had damage upon,..on the underside of the shuttle where the thermal plates are. These Shuttles are over what 20 years old at least? They need to come up with some new updated designs and features of the shuttle....just as cars have finally evolved with sleek designs, these space-crafts should\'ve looked the part a long time ago...these shuttles today just look like over-sized 747\'s.

I think they should hold off with the space exploration and minor missions that they\'re persuing and just develop some new Shuttles.



http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/tech/2007/08/08/vo.shuttle.blast.off.nasa

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3473605

Their options for getting the astronauts down don\'t look that promising.  The problem with new shuttles is the insane price tag on something like that.  Nobody in the US is going to want to spend more taxes on something that most people don\'t see much value in doing so.

[Viper_Fujax]

yet.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLe6fhBejNI

[Titan]

I don\'t think its the foam that\'s a problem. I think they need to stop sending teachers in space. Apparently they are bad luck. Every time a teacher is on board, something happens.

But seriously, they need a better alternative to this foam. If they can\'t build a new shuttle due to cost, at the very least they need to come up with something better to launch them with. They have so many designs for new shuttles, they need to build them.

[clips]

whelp...Nasa decided that the shuttle doesn\'t need to be repaired...they did some kind of simulated test where they took the same kind of tile,punched the exact hole with all of the dimensions of the damaged shuttle tile and stress tested it under the same conditions of re-entry and came to the conclusion that the crew is not in danger....let\'s hope so....


http://www.yahoo.com/s/653645

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=3473605

Their options for getting the astronauts down don\'t look that promising.  The problem with new shuttles is the insane price tag on something like that.  Nobody in the US is going to want to spend more taxes on something that most people don\'t see much value in doing so.

Which is sad, it is sad that as a country we have quit looking to the sky and dreaming. It seems once we reached the moon, that was the end of the space age. Truly sad, I think.

We spend 50% of total military spending in the WORLD because we\'re afraid of everyone else and somehow thats justified, but the american public simply can\'t get behind something like NASA unless we\'re up against the "evil commies".

It is sad what drives our world.

[Titan]

We spend 50% of total military spending in the WORLD because we\'re afraid of everyone else and somehow thats justified, but the american public simply can\'t get behind something like NASA unless we\'re up against the "evil commies".

It is sad what drives our world.

Yeah but China\'s space program is quickly gaining ground Them evil commies won\'t win.