The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced it will launch the space shuttle Discovery on July 13, more than two years after the shuttle Columbia broke apart as it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere, and after weeks of struggling to ensure the safety of a next launch. "We are being as smart about this as we know how to be, but we are up against the limits of our human knowledge," said NASA administrator Michael Griffin on Thursday, after declaring the Discovery safe for launching. "If someone wants more, they're going to have to find smarter humans." Launch Director Mike Leinbach and his crew have worked to ensure that the Discovery meet all the safety recommendations issued by the panel that investigated the Columbia accident. Top of the list was the re-design of the fuel tanks, from which frozen insulation fell and damaged the Columbia's heat shield-ensuring its destruction upon re-entry. "The proximate causes of the loss of Columbia have been addressed. Many other things which could have been of concern or would have been of concern have also been addressed," Griffin said. "We honestly believe this is the cleanest flight we have ever done."
