With the insulating foam problem still not solved, Rand Simberg lays out three scenarios for a damaged space shuttle docked with the International Space Station:

1. The damage is obvious, and will obviously be fatal if a return attempt is made

2. The damage is minimal, and it's obvious that a return is safe, or

3. The damage is obvious, but less obvious is how dangerous a return attempt would be.

In two out of three of those scenarios, if we are not able to make repairs in space, the space shuttle most likely becomes what Rand describes as "the largest piece of space junk ever launched." In a darker moment, one might say that's a pretty good description of the space shuttle program overall.

More constructively, Rand outlines what each of the above scenarios might mean. Read it and weep. NASA's biggest sin of omission may be never coming up with a way for the shuttle to land itself.