How Science Brought Down the Shuttle (NY Times)

コロンビア号に科学実験を任せていた研究者による文章。

Scientific experimentation in space can be safer and more cost effective using long-duration remote controlled orbital spacecraft. At the outset, the costs of developing this technology may appear greater than simply perfecting the shuttle. But if you do not need to provide a safe and sustaining environment for astronauts...the overall cost will be significantly reduced.

...We will always need astronauts to assume certain risks to develop the technology that allows for human exploration of space. The space shuttles and space stations may be necessary to fulfill that mission. However, we need to separate the goal of scientific experimentation from the desire for space exploration.