Aero-News: Quote of the Day

ANN's Quote of the Day usually derives from current news, though we reserve the right to pick quotes out of history that have a bearing on the day's events and issues.

Sometimes, you'll find them timely and in keeping with the content of the day's news... and sometimes, they'll just be thought-provoking.

Reader suggestions and comments are welcome... and if particularly intriguing, timely, or poignant, may themselves become future Quotes of the Day.

Let us hear from you, folks!

Aero-News Quote of the Day

"The bottom line is there is large uncertainty because nobody has a very good handle on the aerodynamics at [re-entry] altitudes and at those speeds. Given that large degree of uncertainty, life could be normal during entry or some bad things could happen."

Source: Deputy Shuttle Program Manager Wayne Hale, quoted by the AP, on justification for an unplanned, unrehearsed EVA now scheduled for Wednesday. Discovery astronaut Stephen Robinson will ride the orbiter's 58-foot robotic arm to a couple of points underneath the shuttle, where he'll try to remove dangling strips of filler material that could pose an overheating problem during re-entry. Discovery is slated to return to Earth on Monday.

FMI: www.nasa.gov