DAYTON, Ohio -- Weather-related scrubs could become more common for the space shuttle program as a result of a recommendation put forward by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB).
Frederick D. Gregory, NASAs deputy administrator, said the CAIBs recommendation to expand video surveillance of future shuttle launches could mean that NASA will have to revise its criteria for what constitutes a good day to launch.
Weather-related scrubs are already common to the space shuttle program, with NASA unwilling to launch in weather that is either wet or too windy.
Generally speaking, NASA will not launch a space shuttle unless there is a 10,000-foot ceiling around Cape Canaveral. "With the requirement that we observe the orbiter through as much of ascent as possible, it could affect our weather minimums," Gregory said. He added that while NASA is studying the issue, it has not reached a firm conclusion.
Speaking at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics International Air & Space Symposium and Exposition here Thursday, Gregory assured the audience of aerospace professionals that NASA would not argue with a single recommendation the CAIB puts forward.
Gregory said the CAIBs recommendations will serve as only as a "baseline" for what NASA needs to do to resume flying the shuttle, with NASA taking it upon itself to "set the bar much higher."
The CAIBs report is now expected to be completed and released the third week of August. By all indications, it will provide an unflinching view of the role NASA management deficiencies played in the Feb. 1 disaster that destroyed Columbia and killed all seven astronauts on board.
Gregory also dropped a strong hint in Dayton that the so-called Orbital Space Plane, not targeted for 2008, could be a capsule.
The very name of the program, Gregory cautioned, is not meant to imply that the final design will be a winged vehicle. He also said that the chosen design would stress very mature, well-understood technology.
"You will see things that some will call retro," he said. "But when you delve into its capabilities they will be very sophisticated, utilizing all the latest technologies."
When asked at the end of a presentation here why NASA was preparing to spend $20 billion on a "gold-plated Soyuz," Gregory praised the reliability of the Soyuz, but disavowed the questioner's cost estimate.
"I dont think anyone has settled on a number such as that before," Gregory said.
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