NASA launches space mission despite objections

WASHINGTON: The US'' decision to launcha fresh two-man crew to the International Space Station last weekend came overstrong objections by experts who warned the deteriorating condition of theorbiting lab posed increasing safety risks for the crew."NASA''sflight team is unable to assess the quality of air or water and radiation levelsaboard the space lab because of a growing array of hardware problems that havenot been corrected," a report in said on Thursday."That may constitute thekind of subtle, creeping risk that NASA officials have vowed to avoid based onthe harsh lessons learned from the Columbia disaster," it said."Justlike what happened prior to the Columbia accident, we are going down the samepath in taking risks with the space station crew for the same dysfunctionalreasons," a NASA physician said adding "we are basically one system failure awayfrom de-manning the space station."Some NASA medical experts andscientists argued that the space station, which has so far cost more than $ 30billion, should be temporarily abandoned because the grounding of the Americanspace shuttle fleet has made it impossible to repair or replace failingequipment anytime soon.The new crew of the space lab, US Commander CMichael Foale and Russian Alexander Y Kaleri, has just begun a planned 200-daytour aboard the space station. The report said that there are morethan 200 hazardous materials and chemicals aboard the space station that must betracked and accounted for to protect the astronauts working and living in closequarters.NASA Administrator Sean O''Keefe, however, said there is noimmediate hazard to the space station crew but that conditions could deterioratein the next six months and force the crew to abandon ship."If thereis any indication whatsoever that this situation is hazardous to their continuedexistence, or to their health longer term, the answer is: Get aboard (theRussian) Soyuz, turn down the lights and leave," he said.But NASA,the Russians and other partners are reluctant to leave the orbiting laboratoryunoccupied and more vulnerable to mishaps, the report said.William HGerstenmaier, the space station programme manager, told reporters last monththat his team had studied the Columbia accident board''s recommendations for theshuttle programme and intends to apply the panel''s message to the space stationprogramme too."But others have expressed fears that old customs andhabits are hard to break," the report said.After the February 1Columbia disaster, the international space station depends on Russian shuttlesto service the Space Station.