STS-7 explodes on launch

To pay respect to Sally Ride's death, I'll propose a TL where her life ends much earlier. :p So, STS-7 meets a fiery end right after launch. What happens to the shuttle program?
 
To pay respect to Sally Ride's death, I'll propose a TL where her life ends much earlier. :p So, STS-7 meets a fiery end right after launch. What happens to the shuttle program?
While I agree this may make for a interesting TL, the smilely is hardly respectful.
 
While I agree this may make for a interesting TL, the smilely is hardly respectful.

Perhaps, but emoticons have widely varying meanings. ": p" is not always mirthful or playful. For example, on Facebook, the ": p" emoticon has a rather sad look to it. Given the popularity of Facebook, I would not be surprised if the OP meant the ": p" in a rather wistful manner.


/returns to lurking
 
Well, like STS-51L there's far too much invested in the program at that point to cancel it. Probably something like the follow-on to that will occur; management will improve somewhat, whatever particular safety problems led to the failure will be fixed, and the Shuttle will then resume flight a few years later. Remaining missions requiring the Space Shuttle will fly out, if possible missions will be redesigned to fly on expendables (the Titan IV and Delta II programs will start a few years earlier than OTL), and life will go on until the next Shuttle failure inevitably occurs.

Space Station Freedom, however, will not occur in this climate. No way, no how. And that has all sorts of interesting butterfly effects...
 

CalBear

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To pay respect to Sally Ride's death, I'll propose a TL where her life ends much earlier. :p So, STS-7 meets a fiery end right after launch. What happens to the shuttle program?
It gets an official warning not to be a jackass?

Sort of like you?
 
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