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The Ultimate DUI

Whoozyerdaddy

Whoozyerdaddy

Lifer
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Panel Finds Astronauts Flew While Intoxicated

Jul 26, 2007
By Frank Morring, Jr./Aviation Week & Space Technology

A panel reviewing astronaut health issues in the wake of the Lisa Nowak arrest has found that on at least two occasions astronauts were allowed to fly after flight surgeons and other astronauts warned they were so intoxicated that they posed a flight-safety risk.

The panel, also reported "heavy use of alcohol" by astronauts before launch, within the standard 12-hour "bottle to throttle" rule applied to NASA flight crew members.

A NASA spokesman declined comment on the findings, which were obtained by Aviation Week & Space Technology. The spokesman said a press conference has tentatively been scheduled for Friday afternoon on the issue. At the direction of Administrator Michael Griffin, NASA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Richard S. Williams set up the panel to review astronaut medical and psychological screening after Nowak was arrested in Orlando, Fla., Feb. 5 on charges of attempted murder and attempted kidnapping for allegedly stalking and threatening a woman who was dating another astronaut. The attempted murder charge was subsequently dropped.

The panel is composed of military and civilian government physicians, psychologists, lawyers, safety experts and astronauts under the chairmanship of U.S. Air Force Col. Richard Bachmann, dean of the Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine. Panel members visited Johnson Space Center in April to gather information from flight surgeons and the astronaut office on astronaut health screening. A panel member said Wednesday the report was still in draft form, and probably would be released in August. Separately, Griffin ordered JSC Director Mike Coats to review intake and on-going psychological screening for astronaut candidates and astronauts, and to recommend changes if necessary.

Griffin also directed Coats, himself a former astronaut, to "determine whether there were any areas of concern - any leading indicators we might have picked up on, based on Lisa Nowak's dealings with other astronauts or NASA employees," in the words of Deputy Administrator Shana Dale.

The Bachmann panel report apparently does not deal directly with Nowak or mention any other astronaut by name. Coats' findings also will be part of the press conference on Friday, according to the agency spokesman.



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isn't it pretty much on autopilot anyway?

if so, given the options i'd rather go stoned as shit, but since that's out of the question i guess alcohol is good too

now if they actually had to DO something, that would be kinda disturbing
 
If you wanted to strap me to thousands of pounds of explosives and accelerate me to 25,000 mph, I think I'd want to be drunk too.
 
There generally seven people in a space shuttle crew. If I wasn't the pilot or copilot, I would not be sober either.
 
Originally posted by: mugs
If you wanted to strap me to thousands of pounds of explosives and accelerate me to 25,000 mph, I think I'd want to be drunk too.
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Imagine how much it would suck to be hung over.
 
Considering theres a chance they might not comeback, I dont blame them.

Lets face it the shuttle program should have been replaced a while ago.
 
Originally posted by: tenshodo13
I can imagine someone being high while inside a Shuttle while its launching.
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Its doubtful. They run medical tests before and after, so they would get caught and as federal employees(GS16), they'd be fired.
 
that be hell of a bust...

do you know how fast you were going?
do you relaize that you almost his an asteroid back there...not to mention you were heading straight for the sun....and this is a space station construction zone.

is that alcohol i smell on your breathe?

get out and moonwalk a straight line for me....

 
Originally posted by: BooGiMaN
that be hell of a bust...

do you know how fast you were going?
do you relaize that you almost his an asteroid back there...not to mention you were heading straight for the sun....and this is a space station construction zone.

is that alcohol i smell on your breathe?

get out and moonwalk a straight line for me....
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Rofles!

But seriously, that's kind of sad. 🙁 I always wanted to be an astronaut.
 
This has been known for years the astronaut who wrote "The Right Stuff" mentioned it frequently in his tell all...

If you were basically a test rat strapped to tons of liquid explosives you'd want to be fucked up beyond belief too...
 
On the one hand, it's not like they have a lot to do during a launch, unlike (say) the driver of a car.

On the other, here they have the dream job of every little kid in the country, the least they could do is take it a bit more seriously.
 
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