Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site alice.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!alice!jj From: jj@alice.UUCP Newsgroups: net.columbia Subject: Congressional committee reports, the end of space research... Message-ID: <4998@alice.uUCp> Date: Wed, 19-Feb-86 10:31:38 EST Article-I.D.: alice.4998 Posted: Wed Feb 19 10:31:38 1986 Date-Received: Thu, 20-Feb-86 07:46:20 EST Organization: New Jersey State Farm for the Terminally Bewildered Lines: 45 Ok. Right after the disaster, I said that it was likely the end of NASA and the manned space program. Everybody (and I do NOT recall any dissenters) told me I was nuts. Today, in the paper, I see that Senator Hollings is calling the disaster "completely preventable". In the same article, I see that NASA and the congressional committee engaged in a shouting match, and that Morton-Thiokol is being investigated because two engineers have said that they advised against the launch, while the management finally OK'ed it. Another (failed bidder) firm says that the wrong rubber was used in the seals. Frankly, anyone who thinks NASA can live through this is pretty optomistic, I think, because the committee is doing their level best to ruin all of the people who have spent their life learning about the shuttle, and who know how to make it work. Certainly, it shouldn't have gone up in RETROSPECT, but as we all know (and some senators seem to take deliberate, hostile, advantage of) hindsight is much clearer than foresight. Of course, any engineer who says that "I think it should have gone up" will be ruined, if not by the Senate, by the publicity or the industry, so NASA's death is assured. Start writing, you complacent twits! You can call your local league of women voters to find out who to write to. I suggest both Senators, your Rep, Ernest Hollings (Sen-D-S.C.), Donald Riegle (D-MIch, Senate), and Albert Gore, Jr, (Sen-D-Tenn) for starters. It's probably too late, though. -- TEDDY BEARS GET HUNGRY, THEY NEED THEIR MCVITIES TODAY! "Heaven please, send all mankind, Understanding, and peace of mind..." (ihnp4;allegra;research)!alice!jj