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Texas Congressman Says Shuttle Not Safe to Fly
By Paul Recer
AP Science Writer
posted: 11:15 am ET
09 May 2003
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WASHINGTON (AP) -- The space shuttle has cost the lives of 14 astronauts in just 113 flights and is not safe enough to keep flying with people on board, a Texas congressman said. Rep. Joe Barton, a member of the House Science Committee's space and aeronautics panel, wants the government to build a new, safer space vehicle or modify the shuttle so it can be flown unmanned. Barton, a Republican, said Thursday the space shuttle accident rate of one every 62.5 missions "is simply not acceptable." In comments at a subcommittee hearing on NASA's plans, he urged the space agency to abandon the shuttle and find a safer way to fly into space. "If we had that safety record even in combat aircraft people would be appalled," Barton said in a telephone interview. He said the shuttle "is an unsafe system and it is technically impossible to make it safe enough, in my opinion." Instead of fixing the shuttle, Barton said it should be grounded or converted to a craft that flies unmanned. "The time has come after two accidents for us to shut down the orbiter (space shuttle) and build a newer, safer spacecraft," he said. "If we have to stop manned spaceflight for five or 10 years, then so be it." Space shuttle Columbia ripped apart while returning to Earth on Feb. 1. All seven crew members were killed. In 1986, space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after it was launched from the Kennedy Space Center. That accident also killed seven astronauts. An accident investigation board analyzing the Columbia loss is expected later this year to recommend changes that board members said a would make the three remaining space shuttles safer. It is expected that NASA will require more money to make the recommended fixes. Barton said he would not vote for any additional money to fix the current space shuttle system and said that money, instead, should be spent on building a new, safer craft using more advanced technology. Told of Barton's comments, NASA's administrator, Sean O'Keefe, declined to comment. In response to another question, O'Keefe said at a news conference that human involvement in space flight is essential for building the International Space Station, the massive orbiting laboratory now being assembled. Components for the lab are delivered to orbit by the space shuttle. Construction is on hold now because the space shuttle fleet was grounded after the Columbia accident. O'Keefe said NASA engineers are evaluating safety changes that may be required for the space shuttle system, but have not determined how long those repairs will take. He said there was an outside chance the shuttle could return to flight by the end of this year, but that early in 2004 was more likely. He said he did not think any of the needed fixes would require "a major redesign" of the space shuttle.
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