New Report Says Shuttle Replacement Should Have Been Sought Long Ago

NASA leaders should have looked sooner and more diligently for a way to replace the remaining space shuttles, according to a General Accountability Office report just released.

As the space agency contemplates its much-anticipated, often-delayed Return To Flight, the three remaining space planes -- Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour -- face so many missions before their scheduled retirement that there is growing doubt over whether they'll all be completed. With just five years remaining before the shuttles are removed from service, they're scheduled for a combined 28 flights -- more than five a year.

"It's now clear NASA had not done its homework on vetting space shuttle alternatives," said Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) in an interview with the Wichita Eagle's Washington Bureau. He was one of several lawmakers requesting the GAO report. So many of the missions are aimed at keep the International Space Station stocked and manned that NASA is now considering 26 options for an unmanned cargo-only module.

NASA officials say they generally agree with the NASA report. But they're conducting their own, much more technically-detailed analysis of the situation. That could lead to a wider variety of vehicles used to deliver food, air and water to the ISS.

FMI: www.nasa.gov