Hearts raced as Discovery roared into orbit this week on a mission that was called “America’s return to space.” Then hearts at NASA nearly stopped when experts studying video of the launch realized pieces of debris had broken off the fuel tank in an incident reminiscent of what doomed Columbia.
Experts don’t think Discovery was damaged, but that outcome was just plain lucky. After more than two years to fix the problems, NASA is back to the drawing board. The agency prudently grounded the shuttle fleet, although administrator Michael Griffin said he had deployed a “tiger team” to solve the problem and he hadn’t given up entirely on another launch this year.
Discovery’s mission had been to resupply the space station. Now its urgent task is to return seven astronauts safely. More than ever, failure is not an option.
NASA instituted a host of safety measures, including installation of 100 cameras to record details of the launch. Those cameras showed the foam flying off the tank. Although the initial analysis found no damage, there will be further reviews while the shuttle is in orbit.
Trying to fix problems in flight is a dangerous proposition. The risk of overreaction could be as hazardous as playing down trouble. Such decisions involve factors that can be only partly addressed by engineering and mathematics. Ultimately, Discovery’s fate depends on human judgment.
NASA’s contingency plans are unclear. The shuttle carries repair kits containing glue developed by Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Jefferson County, but the sealant wouldn’t fix the size of hole that damaged Columbia in 2003. Plans to make repair kits for tiles and panels also fell short. The crew could seek safe harbor in the space station, but vital supplies would quickly be depleted. A Russian spacecraft might attempt a rescue, but it could only bring back four of the seven shuttle crewmembers at a time. A rescue shuttle could be dispatched by remote control and sent up without a crew, but that leaves the question of whether it could launch unscathed and safely retrieve Discovery’s crew.
All of us reveled in the compelling beauty of Discovery’s launch, but we’ll certainly breathe easier at its safe landing.
