From: Ronzo (rojoha@attbi.com)
Date: Mon Feb 03 2003 - 14:22:55 PST
There was and is negligence involved....but it is here, and it is we who
were, and still are, negligent.
We as US citizens have become complacent about the world. We pay our
taxes, and figure someone else is keeping watch. We sit back while our
elected representatives (who most of us couldn't name if our lives depeneded
on it) make decisions that not only affect us, but folks we don't know or
aren't even born yet.
Senators and Representatives that fund 'pork barrel ' politics and non
sensical programs. Oversize locks on the Mississippi that can only be
reached if the locks above and below are also replaced. Highway projects
that have good reasons to be built, but run amuck as contributors swarm to
get a piece of the action. EPA regs relaxed due to money, not science.
Paying conglomerates millions not to grow something on land they purchase
just so they can be paid money for growing nothing.
Our soldiers get killed in some back assward dust bowl because the
'Civilian' appointed to run the DoD wouldn't know a tank from a can of
beans, and feels the proffesional military man appointed to run the op is
being a little too 'pushy and bellicose' in his demands for dedicated armor
in a peace keeping mission. They can't survive this type of civilian
oversight.
Pentagon programs flash into existance and dissapear just as fast. GAO
stated in the early 90's the FMTV was a non starter since the program
savings were projected on 1984 prices of 120 K trucks delivered over 15
years, not 100K over 30 years as the program is now envisoned. GAO stated we
should keep the present trucks for the forseeable future until the program
was re evaluated. But that didn't stop it.
Stryker system is being manufactured to specs that are based on the
C141's cargo bay...except the C141 won't be around then.
The present STS is being operated on a shoe string... it was expected to
be replaced in the early 90's by modern technology. Think of it as a
Unimog... can do lots of things with the right attachments, but only one
thing at a time. It can't carry all the attachments all the time, just what
it needs for the job.
The planning for a trip in the STS is like the mother of all wilderness
camping trips to the arctic. Finite amount of gas, and once in orbit,
committed to direction. It ain't a swiss army knife, more like a batery
powered drill, which can drill metal or wood, drive screws, or use a hole
saw. But you have to decide before ya leave the basement and drive to the
job site 800 miles away.
The STS can dock with the space station if you put the docking module in
the cargo bay. Ditto the robotic arm. Want to do an EVA? Load in an EMU. But
that means that if you take them, then ya gotta leave something else at
home. Like experiments and people.
Wanna dock with the Station? You have to decide before you launch, cause
the station goes SW to NE, which means the shuttle has to be launched up the
east coast. This mission wasn't a dock mission, so it was launched to the
east, across the Atlantic towards the Med. Why? Has something to do with
orbital mechanics and fuelsavings that mean more lbs of payload per lb of
fuel.
The orbiter carries enough fuel for the deorbit burn only, not major
changes in altitude and attitude. Kind of an ICBM with loiter capability.
But still just a low powered rock. Slow down a little and you fall out of
the sky due to gravity. Too early a burn, and you come down in Edwards
(maybe) too late and you miss Florida.
No electromagnetic or gravity drive powered by a nuclear reactor like on
Star Trek. Just a system not too different from a fire extingusher. One shot
to get it right. Get it right and the fire goes out, Screw up a little, ya
loose your truck. They have redundant systems on everything in the orbiter,
cause AAA ain't an option. The tiles work for multiple missions because they
are OVERENGINEERED for one use and resist heat, not impact. They weren't
building the tiles the same way they do the ceramics on the Abrahms.
Different applications, purposes and results.
The folks who do the job are doing what they FIGHT to do. It is a
competition. The cream of the cream. Not pay, not glory. Just the privalege
to be allowed to go out THERE.
We have allowed our so called representatives to kill these Astronauts,
because we don't pay attention to what they are doing. They put bills
together to suck funds from legitimate projects. And we let them, because
not enough people care to change the system.
The Columbia crew died knowing full well the risks involved. They went
because if NASA doesn't cut corners, the program dies. If the program dies,
so does their chance to leave the planet. So they plug on with what they are
given, and hope this one won't be the inevitable statistic that they know is
out there somewhere.
And with any technology that is Gee Whiz, the Ahhhh, shit usually isn't
too far behind.
If you really want to know who is ultimately responsible for Saturdays
tragedy, just look in a mirror. Truth is a bitch, ain't it.....
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