Editorial: Scrap the space shuttle

In the aftermath of the Columbia space shuttle tragedy a week and a half ago, one thing is clear: The space shuttle program is outdated, unsafe and NASA must stop funding it.

Originally designed more than 30 years ago, the shuttles rely on decades-old technology that does not reflect the numerous advances that NASA scientists have made over the decades. Computers and other equipment on the shuttles is hopelessly outdated, meaning that astronauts and engineers must work with inferior equipment that limits what they can accomplish scientifically.

For the United States to be flying these antiquated machines into space is also extremely unsafe, as evinced by the two fatal space shuttle accidents in the past 17 years. Surprisingly, space travel in general has been relatively accident-free, but many of the small number of lives lost in space travel have resulted from space shuttle explosions - lives that likely could have been saved had policy makers heeded earlier warnings about the program.

The space shuttle program is also extraordinarily expensive, with the cost of flying a mission far outweighing any benefits. When the program began, each flight was estimated to cost about $5 million. Currently, though, the costs are 100 times higher - each flight costs $500 million. Thus, not only is NASA flying an unsafe vehicle, but it is hemorrhaging money while doing so.

The root problem is the current culture at NASA, which is wedded to the idea of keeping the space shuttles. After the Challenger explosion, NASA should have taken the initiative to build a different type of space vehicle, but it did not. Moreover, the contracts that help make the space shuttle fly have a vested economic interest in the perpetuation of this bloated program. The reason the shuttle has been kept around for so long is not because it represents good science or the best way to get into space, but because political interest keeps it afloat.

Even though it should scrap the space shuttle program, America should not give up on manned space flight altogether. The benefits of a space program, both in terms of the knowledge gained and in terms of the national pride it inspires, are very real and very necessary, so the United States should work to maintain a space program. To do so, a new type of space vehicle should be developed, one using the most modern technology and that is far less costly to use. In the longer term, perhaps the United States should look toward a manned mission to Mars, a large undertaking that would be a truly impressive accomplishment to which Americans could look with pride.

Also, it is imperative that unmanned space flight continue to carry out important research experiments in space and to deliver satellites and other objects into orbit. For now, though, manned space flight in the shuttle program is just too risky and too costly to justify its continuation.