Jul 31 2003

From The Space Library

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Current revision

For the first time, NASA quantified the costs related to the loss of the Shuttle, stating that, in the six months since the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, it had spent US$152.4 million to conduct the investigation and recover debris. The figure included US$111.9 million for NASA to support the CAIB's inquiry with research and analysis, including the expensive high-speed, foam-impact tests at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, which had provided evidence that foam striking Columbia after lift off had caused the hole in the left wing. NASA had spent US$18.7 million to fund the 13-member investigative board, paying the salaries of the five civilian members, office rent, travel expenses, and the expense of holding public hearings and maintaining the CAIB's Web site. NASA had also spent US$21.8 million recovering debris from the Columbia accident, compared to the US$30 million it had spent salvaging pieces of Challenger. Shortly after the tragedy, the U.S. Congress had approved US$50 million to cover expenses, and it was considering a supplemental appropriation of US$50 million. John Scofield, spokesperson for the House Committee on Appropriations, remarked that nobody had criticized NASA's spending, because nobody wanted to do the necessary work “on the cheap.” Scofield added that the committee was conducting its own analysis to confirm that NASA had correctly estimated its expenditures, but that Congress would likely reimburse NASA for much of the cost. NASA had spent a total of US$62 million (adjusted for inflation) to investigate the 1986 explosion of Challenger. (William Glanz, “NASA Outlines Cost of Columbia Probe,” Washington Times, 1 August 2003.

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