Free Republic

TEXARKANA — The company selected to design Interstate 69 has revealed plans to also implement the world’s first air rail freight system in the corridor, possibly starting in Texarkana, Texas. “You [Texarkana ] have railroads here, you already have an interstate, bringing I-69 is another interstate, you’ve got Oklahoma, you’ve got I-49,” said Gary Kuhn, senior project manager for Zachary American Infrastructure. “This is what the logistics world likes to see — that opportunity to go from one mode to another very efficiently.” In a presentation to the Wilbur Smith Rotary Club, Kuhn said the freight shuttle is a new...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Despite a less-than-stellar assessment by independent experts, NASA officials said on Tuesday the space shuttle fleet -- grounded since last year's Columbia disaster -- could fly again by September. "There's not a show-stopper that says we can't get there," NASA's Michael Kostelnik said of a possible launch window of Sept. 12-Oct. 10. At the same time, he and other space agency officials acknowledged in a telephone news conference that there is much to be done before then. Five days before the anniversary of shuttle Columbia's fatal Feb. 1 mid-air disintegration, NASA was at pains to show progress...

Serious new doubts emerged today over America's ability to make any significant contribution to the international space programme for almost a decade. Just hours after President Bush paid tribute to the Columbia space shuttle's seven astronauts and rededicated the nation to space travel, White House scientific advisers admitted they believe Nasa will not replace the lost space shuttle Columbia for around 10 years, sticking to a schedule that may force the agency to rely more on Russia to supply the International Space Station. The emotional depth of President Bush's memorial address was undeniable. "They go in peace for all mankind....

NASA Warned of Shuttle's Vulnerablitiy By MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer SPACE CENTER, Houston - NASA (news - web sites) was warned nine years ago that the space shuttle could fail catastrophically if debris hit the vulnerable underside of its wings during liftoff — the very scenario that may have brought down Columbia. After receiving the warning, NASA made changes in materials and flight rules to lessen the risk of debris breaking loose, Paul Fischbeck, an engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University who conducted the 1994 analysis, said Tuesday. "There are very important tiles under there. If you lose the...