Space shuttle, ISS mistakes : NASA chief

0 Comments | AFP, September, 2005

WASHINGTON (AFP) — NASA's chief had harsh words for the space shuttle and International Space Station, calling them costly strategic mistakes in an interview that raised doubts about US commitment to getting the shuttle back in flight.

Asked by the daily USA Today if the decision to build a shuttle back in the 1970s, to replace the Apollo program, was a mistake, Michael Griffin said: "It is now commonly accepted that was not the right path. We are now trying to change the path while doing as little damage as we can. My opinion is that it was" a mistake.

"It was a design which was extremely aggressive and just barely possible. Had the decision been mine, we would not have built the space station we're building in the orbit we're building it in," Griffin added....