NASA's Headaches

The new space race, opinion, USA Today

"Poor NASA, it can't catch a break. The space shuttle Atlantis was due to launch three months ago when a sudden hail storm damaged its external fuel tank. Now, NASA is hoping that the repaired spacecraft will launch Friday without more dark clouds appearing to further tarnish the agency's image. NASA has been a favorite punching bag of politicians, pundits and special interest groups. Some decry a lack of devotion to fighting global warming a controversy assisted recently by NASA chief Michael Griffin's comment that he was not sure it was "a problem we must wrestle with." Others see in NASA's commitment to manned space exploration a misplaced romanticism, while still others deplore a lack of emphasis on basic science."