WORLD NEWS TONIGHT (06:30 PM ET) - ABC June 10, 2003
The Columbia Disaster Final Report To Be Published This Summer
LISA STARK, ABC NEWS
(Voice Over) From the beginning, crash investigators have been looking at the foam strike on liftoff as the likely cause of the Columbia disaster. That's what the board will conclude. But the report says there were other factors, Congressional budget restraints, NASA's safety culture and decision making. And, "a system that failed to identify the truly dangerous hazards." Like foam strikes, there have been numerous strikes in the past, but no accidents as a result. So, NASA had decided this was an acceptable risk.
JOHN PIKE, GLOBALSECURITY.ORG
The shuttle was giving off warning signs of an impending failure and NASA's safety organization, their attitude toward safety simply wasn't listening to what the shuttle was trying to tell them, that there was an accident waiting to happen.
LISA STARK
(Voice Over) The report points to a communication breakdown. After the disaster, e-mails released by NASA revealed engineers voiced concern during the mission that not enough was being done to determine if the shuttle was at risk. The final report will contain a host of recommendations, things NASA needs to do in the short term and long term to get back into space. Lisa Stark, ABC News, Washington.
PETER JENNINGS, ABC NEWS
(Off Camera) When we come back, for everybody interested in trading, sentenced for insider trading.
Copyright © 2003, American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.
