Copyright 2003 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights reserved.
April 15, 2003
In the stately and historical Russell Senate Caucus Room, Sean O'Keefe, administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), testified at what will be the first of many hearings on the investigation of the Columbia disaster that claimed the lives of seven astronauts. Administrator O'Keefe was direct and unflinching during the four hour hearing organized by the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation and House Science Committees on February 12, just eleven days after the tragic accident. His reception by congressional leaders ran both hot and cold as he fielded questions regarding the austerity of the Space Shuttle budget, impact to the International Space Station, and the independence of the investigating commission.
Commerce Chairman John McCain (R-AZ)—a man best known for his caustic style—set a diplomatic tone at the onset of the hearing reflecting that the shuttle crew had "paid the ultimate price in pursuit of not only their dreams, but the dreams of nations." He further acknowledged that "[a] comprehensive examination necessitates a review of our own actions and those of the Administration to determine if the Shuttle program was underfunded or managed in a manner that compromised safety." Rep. Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY), chairman of the House Science Committee, quoted President Lyndon Johnson's address to Congress upon the death of President Kennedy: "All I have, I gladly would have given, not to be standing before you today."
Administrator O'Keefe provided a very sober and detailed minute-by-minute account of the shuttle's reentry sequence in parallel with NASA's response to loss of communication to the final announcement that Columbia had been destroyed. He emphasized that having spent less than two weeks collecting shuttle debris and analyzing possible causes, much of the work still lies ahead. He stated that, "This morning you will be asking us challenging questions. That's as it should be. Believe me, none of the questions you will ask can be any tougher than those we are asking ourselves. Our ethos is safety."
He testified that by 10:30 of the morning of the accident—just one and a half hours after initial loss of communication—NASA began the process of initiating the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) and officially activated the board under the chairmanship of retired U.S. Navy Admiral Hal Gehman by 5:00 pm the same day.
While many congressional leaders were quick to commend NASA for the speed and openness with which the agency has shared information with Congress, the media, and the public, concern was raised that CAIB was instituted as a non-independent board controlled by NASA. In a February 6th letter to President Bush, Democratic members of the House Science Committee requested that the charter be changed to require that the Board report directly to the White House and to Congress, rather than to the Administrator of NASA. At the hearing, Rep. Bart Gordon (D-TN), ranking member of the House Science Committee's Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, sharply rebuked Administrator O'Keefe, stating that the so-called independence of the Board "did not pass the smell test." Sen. Byron Dorgan (D-ND) echoed his concerns, remarking that the agency cannot investigate itself and recommending that the White House form a separate investigative panel.
At the same time other members provided helpful criticism, suggesting that the investigative board would be greatly enhanced with the addition of more scientists and engineers to the existing mix of military and civilian government employees on the team.
In response to congressional criticism over the composition of CAIB, commonly referred to as the Gehman Commission, Administrator O'Keefe added Dr. Sheila Widnall, an engineering professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and a former Secretary of the Air Force, as well as Roger Tetrault, a retired CEO of McDermott International, Inc., an energy services firm.
Those appointments apparently did not suffice, as Admiral Gehman announced, the day before the first public meeting of CAIB, the addition of three experts on space science and space policy, including a Nobel Prize laureate.
The new commission members included Dr. Sally Ride, a former astronaut and a physics professor at the University of California at San Diego; Dr. John Logsdon, a space policy professor at George Washington University, and Dr. Douglas Osheroff, a 1966 Noble Prize winner in physics and a professor at Stanford University. The appointments, especially of Dr. Osheroff, responded to the critique that the investigative team lacked the scientific caliber given by Dr. Richard Feynman, the Nobel Prize theoretical physicist on the Challenger investigative team, who cut to the heart of the Challenger accident and shuttle safety.
Aside from the investigation of what led to the demise of the space shuttle Columbia, another pressing issue is how to continue to support and maintain the safety and operations of the International Space Station. With the three remaining shuttles grounded for the foreseeable future, NASA and its international partners must face the prospect of utilizing contingency plans to provide for the three astronauts onboard. To date, the station has had supplies transported via the unmanned Russian Progress launch vehicle and existing stores should maintain the crew through June 2003. A second Progress flight is scheduled for June 8, but a critical issue that arises that month is insufficient water for the astronauts. Due to weight restrictions, NASA has relied on the space shuttle to transport water to the station.
NASA is discussing with its partners the notion of utilizing a Russian Soyuz vehicle as a taxi mission to transport astronauts back to Earth. In addition, it is analyzing whether additional Progress resupply flights may be able to solve the near-term problem, possibly in conjunction with an astronaut exchange mission via Soyuz that reduces the number of astronauts on board. A problem, however, is that previous reports have stated that a minimum of 2.5 astronauts are required simply to maintain operations. NASA now states that 2 astronauts are sufficient, a delicate balance given heightened scrutiny into safety issues.
NASA has emphasized that the station could remain uninhabited, if need be, with nonessential infrastructure components shut down and the unmanned Progress launch vehicle used to boost the station back into orbit.
Subsequent hearings are planned to analyze the role of manned and unmanned space exploration, the costs and benefits of continuing the shuttle program, the future of the International Space Station, and the effectiveness of NASA management. A second hearing is scheduled in the Senate on April 2. ••• [an error occurred while processing this directive]
Copyright 2003 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science. All rights reserved. |