Science and Space

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Are Shuttle and ISS colossal mistakes?

Yes, both the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station were colossal mistakes, according to NASA director Michael Griffin.

It is estimated that NASA has spent about $150 billion on the shuttle program since its inception in 1971. The total cost of the space station by the time it’s finished — in 2010 or later — may exceed $100 billion, though other nations will bear some of that.

Griffin told the Senate earlier this year that the shuttle was "deeply flawed" and that the space station was not worth "the expense, the risk and the difficulty" of flying humans to space.

Joe Rothenberg, head of NASA’s manned space programs from 1995 to 2001, defended the programs for providing lessons about how to operate in space. But he conceded that "in hindsight, there may have been other ways."

posted by: kyawoo at 20:53 | link | comments |
space station, space shuttle

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