Feb 18 2003
From The Space Library
NASA announced the Level 1 requirements for the Orbital Space Plane (OSP) system, the next-generation system of space vehicles designed to transport crews to and from the ISS and to provide rescue missions. NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe had proposed the concept in November 2002 “as a way to take some of the pressure off the aging Space Shuttle fleet.” NASA had envisioned a simple craft, easier to launch and with greater maneuverability in orbit. However, NASA had not intended the OSP system as a substitute for the Shuttle, the only U.S. spacecraft able to haul heavy cargo into space. The OSP concept was to include in its first design an escape pod for the ISS, ready for use by 2010. Its second version, intended for completion by 2012 would be a craft capable of transporting people. (NASA, “Initial Requirements Set for Orbital Space Plane System,” news release 03-073, 18 February 2003, http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2003/feb/HP_news_03073.html (accessed 16 July 2008); Gwyneth K. Shaw, “NASA Views Space Plane as Helpmate to Shuttles,” Orlando Sentinel (FL), 19 February 2003.
NASA released a newly revised charter for the CAIB, permitting the Board's chairperson to replace its executive secretary with someone not working for NASA. The revision was the third attempt to quell congressional concerns about the Board's independence. Legislators had mixed reactions to the new revision~ some saw it as an improvement, but others maintained that the charter did little to guarantee a credible inquiry and argued that its provisions might deter whistleblowers. U.S. Representative Bart Gordon (D-TN) remarked that the revision had not addressed the fundamental problems: NASA had appointed the commission members; NASA had staffed the commission; and the commission reported to NASA. (Richard A. Oppel Jr., “New Charter for Shuttle Board, But Critics Are Not Appeased,” New York Times, 19 February 2003.
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