Re: Excess astronauts -- what must be done

From: Brian Gaff (Briang1_at_blueyonder.co.uk)
Date: 03/08/05 

Date: Tue, 08 Mar 2005 09:43:34 GMT

"Jim Oberg" <jameseoberg@houston.rr.com> wrote in message
news:4Y7Xd.50562$Qz1.36370@fe2.texas.rr.com...
> Hewre's a conversation going on elsewhere:
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Zeger Nuyens" <dokter.nuyens@pandora.be>
> To: <fpspace@friends-partners.org>
> Sent: Monday, March 07, 2005 2:12 PM
> Subject: [FPSPACE] Long wait for Astronauts
>
>> Astronauts of the last class will have to wait for the CEV to make it
>> into space. It makes one wonder why NASA selected them now in the first
>> place.
>
> It makes me wonder MORE why NASA keeps them on
> when it's clear they aren't all going to be needed. As the
> shuttle ages, the experience level of its crews should be increased,
> not decreased -- but the 'astro-power' thinking is to 'share the
> wealth' and fly as many rookies as possible. Look at some of the
> first-time crewmembers of the next few flights who obviously will
> never fly into space again -- like Camarda, 53, or Fossum, 48, or
> Archambault, 45. or Poindexter, 44, or Foreman, 48, or
> Anderson, 46 -- a little old for 'first flight'. Look at NASA's chain
> of ISS expedition crewmembers in training -- no long-duration
> experienced candidates anywhere in sight.
>
> There's a need for going into the CEV program with a cadre of
> flown crewmembers who will be medically flight-qualified through
> 2020 or so -- which means flying some rookies in the age group of
> 32 to 35 or so in the next few years. But anybody older who hasn't
> flown yet -- should be sent on their way with a 'thank you' letter.
>
> And the last year or two of shuttle missions -- the most hazardous in
> terms
> of lapsing attention and aging hardware and diminishing ground support --
> should probably be flown by all veterans, to make training as efficient
> and
> inexpensive as possible.
>
> Any chance NASA would be this rational? Na-a-a-a-ah....
>
>
>
>
>
I don't know about your laws re age discrimination etc, but I'd suspect
doing as you suggest may well not be legally possible. They will point to
the fact that people are staying fitter longer and tell you to go away!

Brian 

-- 
Brian Gaff....Note, this account does not accept Bcc: email.
 graphics are great, but the blind can't hear them
Email: briang1@blueyonder.co.uk
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________