NASA chief: Shuttle program likely to resume in near future

NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe on Thursday reaffirmed his agency's desire to resume space shuttle flights by late fall or early next year.

So far, an investigation of the Columbia tragedy has not unearthed any "show stoppers," O'Keefe said at a breakfast hosted by the Republican Main Street Partnership, a moderate political advocacy group. NASA will make a final decision on the space program's future after agency officials review recommendations from the Columbia Accident Investigation Board and assess advice from an outside panel of aeronautics experts.

O'Keefe said he expects the board to complete its analysis of the Columbia disaster by the time Congress leaves for its summer recess in late July. But he noted that he does not expect any surprises in the board's final report, since investigators have been diligent about publicizing important findings as they arise.

On April 17, the board issued two preliminary recommendations based on an initial examination of debris gathered from the Columbia. The shuttle broke apart over Texas on Feb. 1 as it returned from a 16-day journey, killing all seven crewmembers on board. Investigators urged NASA to require on-orbit imaging of every shuttle flight and to improve testing and inspection of carbon heat-shielding components that protect shuttles from the ferocious heat of atmospheric re-entry.

Once the board issues final recommendations, a group of experts not affiliated with NASA will review them and determine if further shuttle flights are advisable. The group will include former astronaut Richard Covey, who flew aboard the first shuttle flight following the 1986 Challenger accident.

"When [the outside experts] say we can fly, we can fly," O'Keefe said. Despite a push to complete the $92 billion International Space Station, the NASA community is "obsessed" with safety and will not jump the gun on resuming the shuttle program, he said.

"The safest way to deal with this is to stop flying," O'Keefe said. But despite the inherent risks of flight, Americans thirst for space exploration, he added. "To give up on that would be to give up on part of our soul."

NASA will wait to see the accident investigators' findings before determining what role budget shortfalls may have played in the Columbia tragedy, O'Keefe said. The agency will also wait to see if the board recommends further review of contractors' work on the space program.

NASA officials also are planning to take a second look at engineering practices. They will focus on flight abnormalities now considered "acceptable," O'Keefe said. He added that he is pleased at the level of cooperation and openness he has witnessed in the wake of the Columbia accident.

"Nobody is covering stuff up," he said.

O'Keefe also praised the collaboration among the 20 federal agencies that worked alongside local authorities to recover pieces of the Columbia in the days after its disintegration. In 90 days, they recovered 40 percent of the debris, a result that would have been impossible if agencies had engaged in turf battles, O'Keefe said. This is a model the new Homeland Security Department would do well to replicate, he added.