Shuttles safe despite shortcomings

[Guest Glenn]

Source: The Australian

 

By Deborah Zabarenko in Washington

 

June 28, 2005

 

NASA failed to fully comply with three safety recommendations issued after the fatal break-up of the shuttle Columbia, but available data indicated the shuttles were safe to fly, an expert panel said today.

 

The panel said NASA has not eliminated the possibility that debris could fall from the shuttle's external tank and damage the spacecraft, as it did in the Columbia disaster.

 

In addition, the panel said, the space agency had not managed to sufficiently "harden" the shuttle to preclude the possibility of damage if the spacecraft was struck, and the agency had not crafted a reliable in-flight repair system in case of such critical damage.

 

However, members of the independent watchdog panel - the Stafford-Covey Commission - stressed that NASA had improved shuttle safety greatly in those three areas since Columbia disintegrated over Texas on February 1 2003, killing all seven crew members.

 

Panel members said at a news conference that, while it was not up to them to decide whether the shuttle fleet should return to flight as scheduled next month, they felt NASA had gone far to comply with recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB).

 

"While we're saying they (NASA) may not have fully met the intent of CAIB, we're also saying they have made significant progress toward reducing the likelihood that any of these bad events will happen," retired Army Colonel James Adamson said after the panel's final meeting.

 

Another panel member, Joseph Cuzzupoli, said: "We feel that it is a safe vehicle to fly.

 

"The data they presented to us so far says it's safe to fly."

 

Richard Covey, the panel's co-chairman and a former astronaut who flew on the first shuttle mission after the 1986 Challenger accident, said he would not have a concern about flying on the shuttle Discovery, which is set for launch sometime between July 13 and July 31.

 

The three acknowledged the CAIB recommendations were extremely challenging and that in some areas, NASA went above and beyond what was recommended.

 

They added that they were required to give a "binary" response to NASA's progress - a yes or no answer - when substantial progress had been made that fell short of full compliance, but was still a significant improvement.

 

Mr Covey said the panel's full report would be given to NASA Administrator Michael Griffin before a two-day Flight Readiness Review that is set to begin this week.

 

NASA's final decision on whether the shuttle should return to flight as scheduled is then expected.

 

Meanwhile, Mr Griffin is set to testify on NASA's future before the US House of Representatives Science Committee.