GOOD MORNING AMERICA (07:00 AM ET) - ABC February 3, 2003
CHARLES GIBSON, ABC NEWS
Over the past decade, the funding for NASA and civilian space agencies has been cut. Some people say cut too much. And so, our chief investigative correspondent Brian Ross has been looking into the question of whether budget cuts might have impacted shuttle safety. Brian. BRIAN ROSS, ABC NEWS
(Off Camera) Charlie, there have been repeated warnings over the last few years about Congress and the White House, under both the Clinton and Bush Administrations, forcing NASA to operate the shuttle on a shoestring. Richard Blomberg, former chief of NASA's top safety panel, last year warned that the agency was planting the seeds for future danger. He talked with us this morning from London.
RICHARD BLOMBERG, FORMER CHAIRMAN NASA SAFETY ADVISORY PANEL
You can't expect the space shuttle to keep bootstrapping itself and continue to do more with less, if you're going to fly it for a protracted period of time.
BRIAN ROSS
(Off Camera) For example, the space shuttle Columbia was 22 years old and getting so expensive to keep out of the shop that NASA seriously considered retiring it from active duty one year ago.
BRIAN ROSS (CONTINUED)
(Voice Over) It was the old war horse of the shuttle fleet, still flying, even though it had been denied a number of recommended safety upgrades because of budget pressures in the Clinton and Bush Administrations.
SENATOR KAY BAILEY HUTCHINSON, REPUBLICAN, TEXAS
In the last six to seven years, we've had draconian budget cuts.
BRIAN ROSS
(Voice Over) Despite an excellent overall safety record at NASA, a general accounting office report issued just a few weeks ago reached a scathing conclusion, that the cutbacks during the Clinton Administration reached the point of reducing NASA's ability to safely support the shuttle program, and that despite efforts to improve under the Bush White House, little had changed. "These challenges have not been mitigated."
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JOHN PIKE, ABC NEWS
(Off Camera) I think that NASA was basically kidding itself about the safety of the shuttle.
BRIAN ROSS
(Voice Over) Retired NASA manager Jose Garcia says he complained to no avail all the way to the White House about pre-launch safety shortcuts imposed at the Kennedy Space Center.
JOSE GARCIA, RETIRED NASA MANAGER
They weren't testing as much. They were, on some of the critical system, they were backing out of some of the testing, not checking redundant systems. They were doing several things to try and cut back.
BRIAN ROSS
(Voice Over) And among other cutbacks, the shuttles never did get safer power units, better cockpit controls and other improvements recommended after the Challenger disaster 17 years ago.
BRIAN ROSS (CONTINUED)
(Off Camera) Charlie, the shuttle was so old that NASA engineers actually went on the Internet using eBay and Yahoo to track down old computer and electronic parts which are no longer being made.
CHARLES GIBSON
(Off Camera) All right, Brian. Thanks very much.
Copyright © 2003, American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.
