Drunken astronauts

al-AP:

At least twice, astronauts were allowed to fly after flight surgeons and other astronauts warned they were so drunk they posed a flight-safety risk, an aviation weekly reported Thursday, citing a special panel studying astronaut health.

The independent panel also found "heavy use of alcohol" before launch that was within the standard 12-hour "bottle-to-throttle" rule, according to Aviation Week & Space Technology, which reported the finding on its Web site.

I can tell you which two times astronauts were plastered: the first trip after Challenger, and the first trip after Columbia. And good for them. If Russian cosmonauts aren't snockered on Vodka, I'm the Pope.

The crew of STS-91 step over Commander James M. Philmore

Pilot Jimmy Rogers prior to mission STS-114