Shuttle squeezes science in space program

From: The Scientist | Date: October 20, 2003| Author: Jaffe, Sam | Copyright information

After the shuttle tragedy, the future of NASA's science program is questioned | By Sam Jaffe

When the space shuttle Columbia erupted into flames on re-entry, killing its crew of six astronauts, criticism of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration grew to a fever pitch. Attackers came from all sides. Government experts wanted to know where the money was going, and science policy gurus questioned whether NASA could not better use its $15 billion (US) yearly allotment.

Th...

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles from HighBeam Research

NASA: Mission Implausible;The Space Program's Biggest Problem Is Deciding What to Do
The Washington Post ; ... furor over the past few months were of the mundane sort. Still, they made the overall program seem a shambles. The rash of bad news has obscured the fact that the system seems to be slouching toward long-needed changes. Among other things, a blue-ribbon panel ...
Poll: Space program generates low enthusiasm in public.
The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.) (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service) ; Byline: Gwyneth K. Shaw WASHINGTON _ Americans are not enthusiastic about an ambitious space program and would cut NASA's budget before other critical national priorities, an Orlando Sentinel poll shows. The survey found little support for a long-discussed manned mission to Mars and revealed a
Challenger disaster changed space program forever Blast tarnished image Americans had of NASA, spurred restructuring
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel ; As Challenger's giant rocket engines ignited in 36-degree weather on Jan. 28, 1986, everything seemed routine for the first 73 seconds. Then it happened. The images are unforgettable. The giant ball of flame. The solid rocket boosters hurtling away. The stunned families staring at the sky. Ten
Grounded: how NASA went from boldness and a can-do spirit to ineptitude and irrelevance. An autopsy of the American space program. (includes related article) (part 1) (Cover Story)
Florida Trend ; ... entire 29 years of the space program. All those decades of spacewalks would buy 10 weeks of upkeep for Freedom. What's more, this news didn't come in the formative stages of the space station program. Freedom, approved in 1984, was on its fifth major design. Until ...
What's wrong with America's space program?
U.S. News & World Report ; What's wrong with America's space program June 2, 1988, is supposed to be the day when the space program's long ordeal comes to an end. In the two years since the shuttle Challenger exploded in a fireball of hydrogen, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has worked feverishly to get
Panel Urges Major Shift In Space Program Goals; Research on Environment, Cosmos Emphasized
The Washington Post ; A high-level panel of aerospace experts yesterday called for a sweeping reform of the nation's space program that, if adopted, would shift NASA's primary goals away from engineering feats for their own sake and toward scientific research on Earth's environment and the cosmos. Space science
Shuttle Disaster Puts NASA Space Program at Risk.
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News ; The Orlando Sentinel, Fla. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Feb. 2--WASHINGTON--The destruction of the space shuttle Columbia and the death of its seven astronauts may put the very core of ...
FREE SPACE PROGRAM ONLY PRIVATE ENTERPRISE CAN UNLEASH AMERICA'S POTENTIAL.(Editorial)(Editorial)
Daily News (Los Angeles, CA) ; ... believe that the political nature of the space program may have even been directly responsible for the Columbia disaster. Fox News reported that NASA chose to stick with non-Freon-based foam insulation on the booster rockets, despite evidence that this type ...
A Challenger replacement and other changes. (space program)
Science News ; A Challenger Replacement and Other Changes Three major space program decisions announced in a four-day span have grown out of the series of launch mishaps that began with the Jan. 28 explosion of the space shuttle Challenger. The decisions range from the merely nuts-and-bolts variety to one that
Can One More Committee Fix the Space Program?; Some Experts See New Panel as Best Hope for Reform, but Others Dismiss It as Paper Tiger
The Washington Post ; The firestorm of criticism that has engulfed the U.S. space program this summer has led to yet another government-ordered study on its future. This one, however, could actually lead to the overhaul that was called for after the 1986 Challenger disaster, but never carried out. That, at least, is the