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Time to Ditch the Shuttle

Let the Russians fly us; shuttle is too dangerous

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Oct 16, 2008 11:24 AM CDT

(Newser) – It’s past time to put the US space shuttle fleet out to pasture, according to John Logsdon, a member of the 2003 Columbia Accident Investigation Board. That panel recommended the US “replace the shuttle as soon as possible,” and Logsdon stands by that assessment, even though it comes with an unpalatable caveat: the only alternative is to use Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft.

But sticking with the shuttle past 2010 is a dangerous way to show disapproval of Russia’s actions. NASA pegs each shuttle mission with a one in 80 chance of disaster, which would delay the program indefinitely, and the "flawed" system's $3 billion annual budget is sucking resources from developing a new space vehicle. "Get on with current plans," Logsdon writes, "which call for a US-led international effort to return to the moon and then prepare for voyages to Mars. We should not let false pride or international tensions get in the way of exploring the final frontier. "

[Images (7)]

[Quotes (2)]

The Soyuz-FG rocket booster with Soyuz TMA-13 space ship carrying a new crew to the International Space Station blasts off from the Russian leased Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, Oct. 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)

In this Feb. 20, 2008 file photo, the space shuttle Atlantis and its crew of seven land at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/NASA, Bill Ingalls, File)

Space shuttle Endeavour stands ready after arriving at pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Friday, Sept. 19, 2008. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Space shuttle Atlantis on pad 39A, left, and space shuttle Endeavour on pad 39B stand ready at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Saturday, Sept. 20, 2008. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

Space shuttle Atlantis nears launch pad 39A in preparation for the STS-125 mission at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., Thursday, Sept. 4, 2008. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

In a Saturday, May 31, 2008 file photo, space shuttle Discovery lifts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)

In this image provided by NASA the Soyuz spacecraft arrives at the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Friday, Oct. 10, 2008. (AP Photo/NASA - Bill Ingalls)

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We should not let false pride or international tensions get in the way of an intelligent approach to exploring the final frontier. - John M. Logsdon

Yes, NASA has made many improvements in the shuttle since the accident with Columbia. But the shuttle remains a very risky vehicle. - John M. Logsdon

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Time to Ditch the Shuttle