- Jul 16, 2001
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But the shuttle's end has come in sight. "The clipper ships were the peak of the sailing art, and we don't see those either. I think there's a lesson to be learned from that," NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said last week at ..
People are young at 20, but electronics are well into maturity by then -- if not beyond. "I wonder whether I could find a single electronics box in my house that's 25 years old and still works. I don't think I can. It's the same thing with the orbiter," the NASA administrator said of a recent shuttle part breakdown.
To troubleshooters, the shuttle presents a labyrinth of wires, cables, signal boxes, transistors, diodes and capacitors -- one of the world's most sophisticated machines. It enfolds 230 miles of wiring and 1,060 valves alone, and about 2.5 million parts in all.
But the shuttle's end has come in sight. "The clipper ships were the peak of the sailing art, and we don't see those either. I think there's a lesson to be learned from that," NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said last week at ..
People are young at 20, but electronics are well into maturity by then -- if not beyond. "I wonder whether I could find a single electronics box in my house that's 25 years old and still works. I don't think I can. It's the same thing with the orbiter," the NASA administrator said of a recent shuttle part breakdown.
To troubleshooters, the shuttle presents a labyrinth of wires, cables, signal boxes, transistors, diodes and capacitors -- one of the world's most sophisticated machines. It enfolds 230 miles of wiring and 1,060 valves alone, and about 2.5 million parts in all.
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