Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!rutgers!nike!ucbcad!ucbvax!cartan!brahms!desj
From: desj@brahms (David desJardins)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: Launching shuttles soon
Message-ID: <207@cartan.Berkeley.EDU>
Date: Fri, 7-Nov-86 16:23:15 EST
Article-I.D.: cartan.207
Posted: Fri Nov  7 16:23:15 1986
Date-Received: Sat, 8-Nov-86 07:06:53 EST
References: <7254@utzoo.UUCP> <346@xios.UUCP> <7275@utzoo.UUCP>
Sender: daemon@cartan.Berkeley.EDU
Reply-To: desj@brahms (David desJardins)
Organization: Math Dept. UC Berkeley
Lines: 20

In article <1132@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> jon@cit-vax.UUCP (Jon Leech) writes:
>    The only qualified people (the current members of the Astronaut Corps)
>say they will be happy to fly it - as soon as the SRBs are understood,
>fixed, and tested (at least, this is what Sally Ride said in a talk she
>gave at Caltech last night).

   I find this very hard to believe.  Certainly there was no problem with
finding people to fly on the first shuttle flight, with a *much* greater
risk than the 26th -- why would they suddenly not want to fly?

   From what I read in the media (admittedly a very poor source of such
information) Sally Ride in particular is the most outspoken and insistent
of the astronauts on the safety issue.  I wouldn't take her views as
representative without further evidence.

   Finally, if the astronauts we have aren't willing to fly, then we
should be training some who are (whether or not shuttle flights are to
be resumed).

   -- David desJardins