54 SOCIAL SCIENTIST would have explored the^ poles of the Sun and nearby interstellar space. Both Ulysses and Galileo were to have been sent deep into space by a modified Centaur rocket attached to the scientific payloads and launched from the shuttles cargo by. The solar orbit of Ulysses was to have been achieved l?y using the gravitational field of Jupiter as a 'sling-shof. On the way to Jupiter, Galileo would have given scientists a close view of the asteroid-Amphitrite. Galileo is designed to orbit Jupiter for two years and to parachute scientific instruments into the planet's mystry atmosphere. Biggest scientific casuality could be the Edwin P Hubble Space Teles' cope, one of the most elaborate scientific instruments ever to be designed. The project has already been delayed several times. The telescope costs more than $ 1.2 billion, and can probe far deeper into space than has ever been possible. Commercial Setbacks Commercialisation ot the shuttle flights have also suffered setbacks that may not be possible to be reversed. According to Brad Meslin, the Executive Vice President at the Center for Space Policy, in Boston, space ventures requiring immediate financing may go "down the tubes", since the catastrophe is expected to have a chilling effect on space finance. Projects that would be delayed include a material processing experiment belonging to Boeing, Grumman and Rockwell and a polymer experiment planned by the 3M and General Motors. The underwriters have had record losses, about $ 600 million, on space risks over the past two years. Underwriting of insurance policies covering shuttle flights would be frozen for several months, said Brian Stockwell, President of Corroon & Black Inspace, a leading broker in theTJS (New Scientist). If the shutde programme remains grounded for about a year, many satellite owners would switch over to the European Space Agency^s Ariane rocket for deployment. However, the Ariane programme is also not without difficulties and is running 6 months behind schedule, since the failure of Ariane VI 5 in September 1985. NASA had plans to launch 6 communication satellites in 1986 and 8 in 1987. Many of these, including two of the Ministry of Defence, UK would also be delayed. Other satellites facing delays belong to India, Indonesia, Intelsat, GTE, Western Union, Hughes, American Satellite BusinesSs Systems andi the RCA. Explosion of a Myth The myth that was sought to be foisted oh the American psyche that space weapons and the SDI (the Star Wars programme) would make USA safe has been badly exploded with the shutde tragedy. If the teacher in space has not come back to teach, the reasons for what went wrong are not far to ^seek. She was simply the victim of a dangerously misconcieved strategic programme. The fire ball in Florida skyproved that there cannot be even a fool proof