Nasa is blamed for shuttle disaster

NASA was as much to blame for the Columbia space shuttle disaster as mechanical failure, an official report said yesterday.

Investigators criticised safety standards at the U.S.

space agency and warned that ‘the scene was set for another accident’.

Seven astronauts died in February when insulating foam broke away from the main fuel tank, hit Columbia’s left wing and caused the craft to break up on re-entry 16 days later.

The 248-page report said: ‘Nasa’s organisational culture had as much to do with this accident as foam did.’ It concludedthe space agency lacked ‘effective checks and balances, did not have an independent safety programme and had not demonstrated the characteristics of a learning organisation’.

Officials missed eight opportunities to address concerns about the falling foam, according to the report.

The experts put forward 29 recommendations, saying some had to be met before shuttle flights resumed.

One investigator said: ‘Nasa had conflicting goals of cost, schedule and safety.

Unfortunately, safety lost out.’ The agency said it had already set up one group to oversee the return to space flight and another to change its organisational culture.