Jun 8 2005
From The Space Library
The Stafford-Covey Return to Flight Task Group (SCTG) provided an update on NASA's efforts to comply with the Columbia Accident Investigation Board's (the CAIB's) recommended safety and operational practices for Shuttle launches. The Task Group stated that it had approved NASA's efforts regarding five of the CAIB's critical recommendations, bringing the total number of CAIB recommendations with which NASA had complied to 12. Among the five recommendations that NASA had implemented were the installation of cameras on the Shuttle to observe critical events and steps to ensure that budgetary issues and other outside pressures would not influence flight schedules in the future. The Task Group stated further that, although NASA had not yet complied with three of the CAIB recommendations, it saw no circumstances that might prevent NASA's planned launch of Space Shuttle Discovery in July 2005. The three CAIB recommendations that NASA had not yet implemented were establishing in-orbit repair techniques for the orbiter, preventing catastrophic debris from falling off the orbiter's fuel tank during launch, and fortifying the orbiter against debris impacts. (Mark Carreau, “Shuttle Safety Issues Unresolved,” Houston Chronicle, 9 June 2005; Warren E. Leary, “NASA Near to Meeting Safety Requirements for Launching in July,” New York Times, 9 June 2005.)
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