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 The most important element of human space flight is safety. The Space Shuttle is a highly sophisticated spacecraft capable of performing various functions: delivery of large payloads, extra-vehicular activities, robotic arm operations, rendezvous, and docking. Without the Space Shuttle, the construction of the International Space Station would be impossible. All the people involved in the Space Shuttle Program at NASA have made every effort for flight safety. The Challenger and Columbia accidents, however, have brought home the fact that it is extremely difficult to fly the Shuttle safely. We must learn from these accidents and continue to do our best to maximize the Shuttle's reliability.
During a Shuttle mission, the management team in charge of mission operations holds a meeting every morning. This team plays a very important role in the execution of a safe mission. Since the Columbia accident, mission-operation managers have been included in new Shuttle-flight simulation training sessions, along with astronauts and mission controllers. The entire team, including the managers, has to cope with simulations of various kinds of problems, including damage to the Shuttle's body. The management team holds simulated meetings to ensure the safe execution of the mission.
As you can see, NASA has been steadily making progress toward the return to flight of the Space Shuttle. |
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