NY Times Doesn't Buy NASA's Decision

A Risk Not Worth Taking in Space, editorial, NY Times

“The decision to proceed with the launch anyway – made by Michael Griffin, the administrator of NASA – was a gutsy call. It even seems reasonable, if you accept the constraints he was operating under. But if you believe, as we do, that the benefits to be gained from further shuttle flights are minimal, this looks like an unnecessary risk to the spacecraft and to the astronauts who will be riding in it.”