Nasa Chief on falling foam

Hyderabad, Sep 28 (UNI) US Space Agency NASA Chief Mike Griffin today dismissed as a 'very little problem' the falling foam from the shuttle's huge external fuel tank which had marked the return of flight and grounding of the fleet.

Asked whether NASA had found a permanent solution to the problem of over 4,000 tonnes of foam falling from the fuel tank, he told a press conference here ''it is no problem''.

When asked about the tragic loss of Columbia and its crew in 2003, he admitted that ''we get a lot of surprises, when we think we know, it happens otherwise''. ''We in NASA leaves no stone unturned to see that there is no problem,'' he added.

International cooperation was required for undertaking future missions, including the ''Mission to Mars''.

''No single country has the resources to carry out the ambitious venture''.

UNI