NASA Pledges Reform Following Scathing Accident Report
The investigation in the loss of the space shuttle Columbia cited the management and culture of NASA as one of the contributing factors to the accident that killed seven astronauts. Sean O'Keefe, NASA administrator, discusses the report and what the agency plans to do to address its shortcomings. (8/28/03)

Investigators Hand Down Columbia Accident Report
Update: An independent board charged with investigating the breakup of the space shuttle Columbia on Feb. 1 unveiled a report Tuesday morning containing some 30 ways NASA should improve manned space flight, including better management practices that would encourage communication among the ranks.

Ray Suarez discusses the Columbia Accident Investigation Board's findings with a former NASA program manager and historian.

Ray Suarez talks to CAIB Chairman Hal Gehman about the board's findings and recommendations.

RealAudio: CAIB Chairman Gehman's press conference following the report's release.

Full Report: The CAIB Final Report. (8/26/03)

Accident Board Gives NASA Head Start on Program Corrections
Update: Prior to unveiling its final report, the Columbia Accident Investigation Board released five recommendations for NASA to undertake in future space shuttle missions. The agency has reportedly begun work on implementing the various recommendations. The board said NASA should:

devise a plan to inspect the condition of all reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) systems, since the board found current inspection techniques inadequate. RCC panels are installed on parts of the shuttle, including the wing leading edges and nose cap, to protect against the excessive temperatures of reentry (issued 4/17/03);

make imaging of each shuttle while in orbit standard procedure. The CAIB offered this suggestion since NASA had no images of the Columbia shuttle clear enough to determine the extent of the damage to the wing (4/17/03);

conduct inspections of the thermal protection system, including tiles and reinforced carbon-carbon panels, and develop action plans for repairing the system (6/27/03);

upgrade the imaging system to provide three angles of the shuttle from liftoff to at least solid rocket booster separation. "The existing camera sites suffer from a variety of readiness, obsolescence and urban encroachment ... problems," according to the board (7/1/03); and

make the shuttle's on-board cameras, which capture images of the external tank after separation, available during the ascent, rather than just post-flight. That way, data may be used to assess debris strikes or other ascent anomalies earlier in the process (7/30/03).

Foam Strike Becomes 'Smoking Gun' After Tests
A dramatic test July 7 demonstrated the damage a flying piece of foam could have caused the space shuttle Columbia's wing on liftoff. The test prompted one Columbia Accident Investigation Board member to say, "We have found the smoking gun." (7/8/03)

Investigators Offer Theory for Columbia Disaster
The team investigating backs the theory that superheated gases may have penetrated the craft through damaged thermal tiles on its left wing, leading to the spacecraft's disintegration. (5/6/03)

Investigators, Congress Search for Answers to Columbia Breakup
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe answered questions before a congressional committee about the Columbia disaster. Terence Smith examines developments in the shuttle investigation with Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., and Lori Garver, a former NASA official. (2/27/03)

Engineers Worried for Crew's Safety
Update: NASA engineers worried before the shuttle disintegrated that the shuttle's wing might burn through, leading to a breakup of the craft. (2/26/03)

Full text of the e-mails released by NASA. (Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader)

NASA Officials Discussed Damage Before Columbia Disaster
Update: Days before the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated a NASA official warned that damage sustained during takeoff may have been enough to allow super-heated air to breach its left landing gear door. (2/21/03)

Investigators Say Shuttle Was Pierced During Reentry
Experts assess the latest in the shuttle investigation, including NASA's discovery that the shuttle's skin was pierced during reentry. (2/13/03)

No Indication of Problems During Flight, Official Says
Update: NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe tells a congressional committee that he cannot yet determine what caused the space shuttle Columbia to break up during reentry, but said investigation efforts are continuing. (2/12/03)

Searching for Answers
The New York Times' David Sanger and former Columbia astronaut Jeff Hoffman on debris recovery efforts and the state of the shuttle disaster investigation. (2/6/03)

Serious Damage From Foam Called 'Unlikely'
Update: NASA space shuttle program manager Ron Dittemore said Wednesday it is unlikely that foam insulation that broke loose from Columbia's external fuel tank and struck its left wing during liftoff did damage serious enough to cause the shuttle to break apart as it reentered the earth's atmosphere Saturday.

Dittemore said investigators believe the size and weight of the insulation was too little to have caused such catastrophic damage.

"It doesn't make sense to us that a piece of debris could be the root cause of the loss of Columbia and its crew," Dittemore said. "There's got to be another reason."
(6:30pm EST, 2/5/03)

Reaching for the Stars
Four views on the lure of space exploration and the special attributes of the people who do it.
(9:30pm EST, 2/4/03)

President, Nation Marks Loss of the Columbia Astronauts
RealAudio: President Bush joined the families of those lost on Columbia to remember the lives of the seven who died Saturday.
(2:30pm EST, 2/4/03)

Text: The full text of Mr. Bush's remarks.
(4pm EST, 2/4/03)