The head of the commission of inquiry looking into the Columbia disaster, retired admiral Harold Gehman spoke to reporters at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday
The Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry into the Columbia disaster, Harold Gehman and member of the House of Representatives Tom Finney visit the hangar where the remains of the Columbia are stored at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida
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The man who headed the commission of inquiry that looked into the circumstances of the Columbia disaster in February, said that he does not see anything that would prevent the resumption of the flights of the three remaining ferries.
This was good news for NASA, which must fly the shuttles to maintain the proper functioning of the International Space Station.
Retired Admiral Harold Gehman visited the Kennedy Space Center in Florida last Saturday, May 17, 2003 along with the other six committee members to examine the Columbia debris stored there.
The members of the investigative committee did not come across anything that could prevent the shuttles from returning to flight," Gehman said. NASA officials said they would like to have at least one flight before the end of the year, as they must bring water and essential equipment to the two astronauts living on the space station.
However, Gehman, whose final report of the committee he chaired is expected to be issued in the fall, said that he cannot predict how much more time will be required before the next flight can take place.
"How long will it take from the day we finish work until we return to the flight? I can't say now, but at this point it seems something likely," Gehman told reporters.
Gehman's comment reinforced President Bush's promise to NASA chief Sean O'Keefe hours after the disaster that NASA must find the problem, fix it and get back to flying as quickly as possible.
Since then, some of the critics, mainly in Congress, have demanded to know when the shuttle, based on technologies from the sixties and seventies, will be safe to fly.
