The Orlando Sentinel has a list of other issues that, like the falling foam, NASA has been ignoring, any one of which might destroy another Shuttle Orbiter.

"Some people still involved in the program confided to me that they have been awakened in the night with nightmarish pictures of the vehicle cartwheeling off the pad," said Bill Heink, who retired in 2000 as site director of The Boeing Co. shuttle operations at Kennedy Space Center. "The potential is there."

Why am I reminded of Henry Spencer's comment on staging?

"Doctor, it hurts when I do that." "Then don't do that!"

Ironic that they quote your favorite space-policy wonk John Pike kvetching about "assumptions".

In some respects, NASA was lucky with the Columbia. It could've been one of the orbiters destroyed while it had a critical module for the ISS onboard. They're pretty much playing Russian roulette as it is.

Are there REALLY? any critical modules for Space Station Albatross? The only critical module left for it is the de-orbiting module, IMO.

If it was a critical ISS module, it wouldn't have been in the payload bay for entry.

If it was a critical ISS module, it wouldn't have been in the payload bay for entry.

Reading "cartwheeling off the pad" reminds me of the horrific accident involving the shuttle Constitution in "Kings of the High Frontier" by Victor Koman, if anyone's read it.

Cartwheeling off the pad? Eeeeesh. I knew those once-you-ignite-'em-they're-lit-until-they-burn-out SRBs are dangerous but I hadn't thought of the scenario where one ignites and the other's a dud.

Eeeeesh!

"any critical modules for Space Station Albatross"

For the sake of better acronym the name Albatross Space Station has been proposed.

Just to clarify -- I made my comment above before actually reading the linked article.

<smacked with wet noodle>

Thank you sir, may I have another?