http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/07/26/anonymous-allegations/ Summum nec metuas diem, nec optes - Marcus Valerius Martialis Tue, 02 Aug 2011 22:27:18 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/07/26/anonymous-allegations/comment-page-1/#comment-64260 Blue Crab Boulevard » Sober Truth Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:39:24 +0000 http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/07/26/anonymous-allegations/#comment-64260 [...] There will, undoubtedly, be some who will say NASA is covering things up. NASA, however, will also realize that anything they produce here will be examined under a microscope - unlike the allegations. Those were just flung out there with nothing to back them up. I said at the time these charges surfaced that any flight surgeon who allowed a drunk astronaut to fly is unfit for his or her job. I still believe that. [...] [...] There will, undoubtedly, be some who will say NASA is covering things up. NASA, however, will also realize that anything they produce here will be examined under a microscope – unlike the allegations. Those were just flung out there with nothing to back them up. I said at the time these charges surfaced that any flight surgeon who allowed a drunk astronaut to fly is unfit for his or her job. I still believe that. [...]

]]> http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/07/26/anonymous-allegations/comment-page-1/#comment-63778 Blue Crab Boulevard » Irresponsible Fri, 27 Jul 2007 17:38:34 +0000 http://bluecrabboulevard.com/2007/07/26/anonymous-allegations/#comment-63778 [...] The NASA panel report I posted about last night has now been released. Mike Carney from USA Today's On Deadline has the relevant section posted: Finding: Interviews with both flight surgeons and astronauts identified some episodes of heavy use of alcohol by astronauts in the immediate preflight period, which has led to flight safety concerns. Alcohol is freely used in crew quarters. Two specific instances were described where astronauts had been so intoxicated prior to flight that flight surgeons and/or fellow astronauts raised concerns to local on-scene leadership regarding flight safety. However, the individuals were still permitted to fly. The medical certification of astronauts for flight duty is not structured to detect such episodes, nor is any medical surveillance program by itself likely to detect them or change the pattern of alcohol use. [...] [...] The NASA panel report I posted about last night has now been released. Mike Carney from USA Today's On Deadline has the relevant section posted: Finding: Interviews with both flight surgeons and astronauts identified some episodes of heavy use of alcohol by astronauts in the immediate preflight period, which has led to flight safety concerns. Alcohol is freely used in crew quarters. Two specific instances were described where astronauts had been so intoxicated prior to flight that flight surgeons and/or fellow astronauts raised concerns to local on-scene leadership regarding flight safety. However, the individuals were still permitted to fly. The medical certification of astronauts for flight duty is not structured to detect such episodes, nor is any medical surveillance program by itself likely to detect them or change the pattern of alcohol use. [...]

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