NASA's Discovery

If I were on board the Space Shuttle Discovery right now, I would pretty much want to climb on board the International Space Station and wave goodbye to my crewmates and wait for the next Russian ship to come pick me up for the flight home. Let's recap this trip into space:

Launch gets delayed due to fuel sensor issues;
shuttle is back on launch pad despite incomplete resolution of the sensor issue;
shuttle gets launched and the cone of the fuel tank hits a bird immediately after liftoff;
video of debris falling off the rocket is captured during liftoff;
shuttle performs the first ever "full pitch maneuver" while in orbit underneath the International Space Station so onboard cameras can assist in determining any damage to the shuttle during liftoff;
there appears to be two places where gap filler is sticking out from between the heat-resistant tiles on the underside of the shuttle;
NASA engineers determine that the filler might retain too much heat upon re-entry and come up with a way to remove the filler;
Astronaut Steve Robinson completes the first ever repair of the shuttle while in space successfully removing the two gap fillers

And now NASA is investigating an apparent tear of the thermal blanket below the cockpit window which would not pose an immediate threat to the safety of the astronauts during initial re-entry, but might come off and cause significant damage to the shuttle after it slows down from Mach 20 to Mach 6 (that's six times the speed of sound). It is possible that another spacewalk would have to be conducted to repair the thermal blanket, although at this point in time NASA is saying that is unlikely.

What else could possibly happen during this trip? Thankfully, there were no issues during the docking to the Space Station. With all the time that the astronauts have been having to work on the Discovery just to make it presumably safe for the trip home, how much have they really been able to focus on the actual objectives of the mission. If it were me up there, you'd better be believing that I would be concentrating much more on fixing my ride home than any scientific experiment that you could possibly want me to perform. Screw the insects, mold and other living organisms in little vials or jars, let's make sure we get home in one piece!

Looking at the schedule for the Discovery, one has to wonder if NASA went out of their way to make sure the landing is an early morning affair. The Space Shuttle Discovery will be re-entering the Earth's atmosphere around 3:45am om Monday, August 8th. It's a safe bet that there won't be a lot of people watching television during that time or looking up at the sky.

I think it's safe to say that it is well beyond time for NASA to review the Shuttle program and either replace the ships with new models or replace the program in its entirety. If we are intent on sending people into space, then let's make sure we are sending them in the best possible vehicle with the best possible equipment. Anything less is not only an insult to our country's prosperity and technological capabilities, but more importantly, it is an insult to the brave and itelligent men and women who go there on our behalf.

Here's to the crew of the Space Shuttle Discovery.
May God bless you and bring you home safely.