But She's Confident Of May 15th Launch

"If we ever get to the point where a recommendation is not filled in anyone's mind, we are not going to fly."

So said Eileen Collins Thursday, at a news conference with her six Discovery crewmates in Houston. But the commander of the first shuttle mission since Columbia broke up two years ago says she's confident NASA will meet safety requirements necessary for the mission prior to the May 15th launch date.

But her optimism isn't universal among the crew.

"This is an experimental flight," said rookie mission specialist Charles Camarda, quoted by the Los Angeles Times. "I don't believe [repair techniques] are certified in my opinion."

Sure, Camarda admitted, if there is damage to Discovery's hull discovered during the mission, he envisions an EVA to make repairs. But if the damage occurs on a surface that would be subjected to high heating during re-entry, Camarda says he'd much rather hightail it to the International Space Station and wait for a rescue shuttle. In that case, Camarda told reporters, "I wouldn't want my crew or any crew to fly back" in a damaged spaceship.

Collins told the news conference she'll be thinking a lot about the crew of STS-107, the seven men and women killed in the destruction of Columbia on February 1st, 2003.

"I know we will feel closer to them as we experience this flight," she said.

FMI: www.nasa.gov