BadGimp

Shuttle Rescue Might Have Been Possible

at May 24, 8:49 AM ET

By MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA (news - web sites) could have launched another shuttle to rescue the Columbia astronauts if it had realized the severity of the wing damage early on and decided it was worth the extreme risk to the second ship and crew, the chief accident investigator said.

Retired Navy Adm. Harold Gehman Jr., chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, said Friday that the question was put to NASA earlier this month and that the space agency's preliminary findings indicate that such a rescue would have been technically feasible.

But he added: "I've got no idea if it would have been successful or not."

Gehman stressed that a rushed rescue mission by shuttle Atlantis and four of NASA's best and most seasoned astronauts would have been "very, very risky — but not impossible."

He said astronauts would have been "standing out in the hallways to volunteer."

..............................................................................

Is this where they start eating thier own?

This thing just smells more and more as it unfurls like a rotten artichoke.

BadGimp

=======================================================

posted by BadGimp @ 1:54 PM