Nasa Says Shuttle May Fly In April
Posted on: Saturday, 28 June 2003, 06:00 CDT
NASA's boss said Thursday he hopes to resume space shuttle flights by next April and promised to go well beyond the recommendations of the Columbia accident investigation board for improving safety.
"The effort we need to go through, the high bar we need to set for ourselves, ought to be higher than anything else anybody else would levy on us," Administrator Sean O'Keefe said during a visit to Kennedy Space Center.
"We've got to not only focus on the findings and recommendations, but beyond that, to correct everything we think may stand in the way of flying as safely as humanly possible."
O'Keefe's statements came two days after the investigation board outlined what NASA should do before launching another shuttle. Among the suggestions that will be in the board's final report next month: Eliminate as much fuel-tank foam loss as possible, strengthen the shuttle's exterior so it can withstand debris, and improve astronauts' ability to repair damage from such blows.
The accident investigators believe a 1 1/2-pound chunk of foam insulation that broke off the fuel tank during liftoff breached Columbia's left wing and doomed the spaceship.
The shuttle shattered over Texas on re-entry Feb. 1.
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