Lawmakers urged to spend funds to keep shuttle safe

WASHINGTON -- There's danger ahead for space shuttle astronauts unless Congress pays for long-term upgrades to the aging spaceship fleet, a NASA safety expert said Thursday.

"I have never been as concerned for space shuttle safety as I am right now," said Richard D. Blomberg, former chairman of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's aerospace safety advisory panel. The next flight, and perhaps many after that, will be safe, he told the House Science subcommittee on space and aeronautics.

But unless Congress provides money to adequately upgrade the shuttle fleet now, he said, "Nobody will know for sure when the safety margin has been eroded too far."

Other officials disagreed, saying the shuttles receive regular upgrades and have a long life span left.