White House Staffers Push to Limit Shuttle Flights to 15

White House Memo Calls For Slashing Remaining Space Shuttle Flights, SpaceRef

Specifically, the memo says “The Administration is convinced that 28 Shuttle flights are not required to assemble a Space Station that meets the goals of the Vision and that this number of flights is not achievable by 2010. The projected increases to the Shuttle’s lifetime budget could put the Vision in jeopardy … To ensure that the Shuttle can be retired safely by the end of the decade at close to its planned lifetime budget, and without undue schedule pressure, Passback assumes that the Space Shuttle program is limited to a total of 15 additional flights to complete the assembly of the Space Station.”

Earlier story: NASA and White House Discuss Early Shuttle Fleet Retirement, SpaceRef