I love all the utopian stuff that the money from NASA could be going to, as if we just eliminate NASA, a very small part of the federal budget, we could save the whales, replenish the ozone layer, put a wind powerplant on every street corner...... The money would get rolled into some other government BS, from which we would see no results what-so-ever. Science and innovation isn't free, anybody that thinks we would have the same technology today if NASA never existed is an idiot. Despite the budget problems, I think they do pretty well with what they have, and it is one aspect of the budget that I agree with (one of the few). I hope tomorrow goes well, I'll be watching with the rest of the world.

Screw the extra fuel level sensor. Mine went out on my Caravan too so I just keep track of the miles. They can watch the odo like I do. Works for me. :)

Sherwood

Well, I for one think NASA needs some media training.

Would it be your decision to hold a press conference announcing that all space shuttle fligts are now grounded *while* there's a crew orbiting the earth in one?

I think that all NASA employess should be paid totally via performance-based compensation (like I do)

To wit; No succes = no pay. Only if the job / task is accomplished correctly, completely and on time.

Or more simply: when all the astronauts return safely and the mission is a success, you may all go to HR and pick up your last yrs pay.

On the morning of the Challenger lauch, I was driving to work when I heard that they were planning to launch in the coldest temperature yet. My immediate thought was that was foolish. There are some many things that would need to be proof tested for cold weather operations, including seals, flexible joints, electronic devices,etc.

When they went ahead this week and launched without finding a root cause and corrective action for the fuel sensor, I was swearing at the TV. Didn't they learn anything?

You test like you fly and fly like you test. This is a man rated operation. You don't go for 99% reliability. You do better than that. Some things are required to be one in a million. This just pathetic.