Battleangel

And they are starting to add up. I don’t feel like listing the entire dossier here and now but something is definitely wrong. And I’m not just talking about Challenger but rather all the skew mirrors and lost probes that these guys are entertaining us with. Most likely it’s overconfidence. A risky profession that has sadly become a mundane activity and worst of all underbudgeted.
Todays accident involved the Columbia shuttle. Apparently the structural integrity failed on re-entry. Early reports suggest heat shield failure or cracks in the hydrogen fuel liners. Needless to say, the crew is probably toast unless they for some unlikely reason had time and opportunity to clear the shuttle, were protected by their pressure suits and could get their parachutes out. R.I.P.

Somehow I get the feeling that this will somewhat delay the Prometheus project. Conspiracy theorists will no doubt follow the the past of crew member Ilan Ramon. Not only was he Israel’s first astronaut, according to some blabbermouthed Israeli official, he was also part of the strike team that took out the Osirak reactor site. Unwise as it was to reveal, it probably is nothing more than a coincidence.
What will this mean for the future? Well. NASA might have problem with funding. They will need to replace the shuttle for sure. The ISS program can not continue with just two shuttles. The best way to do this would be using Russian shuttles which AFAIK show a better mission economy as well. At any rate, this will be a serious bump in the road on our way into space.

CNN has more info. Other recommended reading includes NASA and Space.com.