Like you, I'd heard about the story, but only just now read it. And I have many thoughts. Instead of writing a crazy long post, I'll just put some basic thoughts down.
I don't think the criticisms are fair and likely have more to do with (valid!) dislike of John W. Campbell as a person than what is inherent in the story.
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One complaint people have is that the pilot (and the people he talked to) didn't seem to do enough to try to find a solution.
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They say he could have thrown out the girl's seat. But if you read the story, she doesn't have a seat. She sits on 'on the boxlike bulk of the drive-control units that were set against the wall'.
The ship is small and collapsible, like a lifeboat. Imagine that ship as your car. Would you be able to dismantle unnecessary components in your vehicle with what is onhand in your vehicle at the time? And the whole story takes place within an hour or so.
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Some modern takes see this more as a sign of a greedy corporation cutting corners rather than "physics" or "the dangers of space."
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But there is no sign in the story that the ships were owned by any corporation. So those takes aren't spun from anything within the story itself.