NATION : Building Another Space Shuttle Favored in Congressional Report
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WASHINGTON — A congressional report called today for construction of another space shuttle to bolster the U.S. fleet of three, warning of a 50% chance of a second shuttle accident if NASA meets its aggressive launch goals.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration puts the odds of losing another shuttle after the 1986 Challenger disaster at 1-in-80 to 1-in-800.
But the report on the future of space travel by the Office of Technology Assessment said, “Shuttle reliability may lie between 97% and 99%. If it is 98%, there is a 50% probability of losing one orbiter every three years assuming a launch rate of 11 per year.”
The report continued, “Buying more orbiters would increase the resiliency of the space shuttle system. . . . The shuttle orbiter fleet is likely to continue to suffer occasional attrition.”
Rep. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), chairman of the House subcommittee on space, estimated a new ship would cost $1.2 billion. The United States has three operating shuttles and one under construction at a Rockwell International plant in Palmdale.
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