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03/24/2004 Archived Entry: "NASA's demise"

Many thanks to unofficial co-McBlogger Gordon Pusch for serving as our scientific advisor. Gordon has been watching the increasingly-likely demise of NASA's shuttle program and sends the following links to news items and commentary to keep us current as well as to provide background:
--SpaceDaily (03/23/04): "A NASA official says some of the U.S. space shuttles flew for 25 years with flaws in the rudders of the tail section.
---SpaceDaily (02/19/04): "Is The Shuttle Grounded Forever?" NASA management's intense pressure to complete the Incredible Shinking Space-Station "on schedule" --- included distributing a screensaver that counted down to the scheduled "US Core Complete Configuration" date, 2004-Feb-19. The screensaver was a direct contributor to the _Columbia_ disaster.
---as long ago as Nov. '02, SpaceDaily ran an article entitled "Scrap The Shuttle Program." A Dept. of Commerce report recommended scapping the Scuttle. The Air Force concurred.
---for recommended commentary on NASA slurping at the public trough: "The Science of Spending Billions." Part One: "Slower, More Expensive, Worse --- How NASA intends to Do Less With More." Part Two: "Shuffling The Lockers Around." Part Three: "Getting beyond a Geocentric space Program."