[KantianBurke]

Of course. NASA's failure to anticipate the severity of the damage is quite damning. My proposal is therefore predicated on NASA erring on the side of caution instead of throwing it to the wind.

[Poohbah]

Of course. NASA's failure to anticipate the severity of the damage is quite damning.

No, it isn't. That's not the biggest chunk of anything to ever hit the Shuttle during climbout.

My proposal is therefore predicated on NASA erring on the side of caution instead of throwing it to the wind.

And speeding Atlantis through preflight by getting rid of a bunch of safety checks, and putting TWO shuttles and NINE astronauts at risk is "erring on the side of caution."

Georgie Orwell would be so proud of you!