Wednesday, April 09, 2003

AND NOW THE COVER UP I had intended to write something about my feelings on the fall of Baghdad today, but I guess all of these unexpected events are still sinking in. Something in the news did catch my eye today that seems to have been overlooked with the rush of events. To me it's simply outrageous. I guess it was too much to hope for that the Columbia Accident Investigation Board would be an independent commission without an agenda that would root out the true cause of the shuttle’s destruction and pave the way for improvements that would allow the manned exploration of space to continue. Regardless of the actual physical event or chain of events that led to Columbia’s destruction and the deaths of the astronauts on board, the CAIB has already, by a decision it announced yesterday, pointed to the true cause of the tragedy. Unfortunately, it’s the same thing that doomed the Challenger and the astronauts on its flight. As much as I hate to say it the problem is NASA itself. The once “can do” agency that epitomized the “right stuff” has become nothing more than a backstabbing, cover your ass bureaucracy. The CAIB has decided in its far less than infinite wisdom that a whitewash of the truth is in order. Harold Gehman, chairman of the CAIB said "privileged or confidential testimony from senior shuttle managers, engineers and technicians, will never be made public, either in a public hearing or in final report transcripts. As reported by Spaceflight Now: The CAIB is interviewing senior shuttle managers and engineers under conditions of confidentiality. By granting such privileged status, the board guarantees witnesses their testimony will never been made public and that criticisms of systems, procedures or other individuals will not be traceable. The idea is to encourage a more open, more honest dialogue with board members and investigators.   Under this policy, the public will never hear directly from Linda Ham, for example, chairman of NASA's mission management team during Columbia's flight, or any other managers responsible for deciding what to do about the foam impact during launch that is now believed to have played a major role in the disaster.   Asked if conducting such interviews in secret might represent a disservice to the public, Gehman said "we consider this to be a strength, not a weakness."  Since when did covering up the truth become “a strength, not a weakness?” This is especially so since NASA program managers have been tolerating foam shedding from the external tank and striking the orbiter, something which is supposedly an impermissible event, as a routine occurrence for the past 20 years, simply because they’ve managed to dodge the bullet until Columbia.   In my view the CAIB has lost all credibility. It’s time for a truly independent investigation to begin. One that will not be concerned with covering somebody’s ass. 9:26:40 PM    Go ahead, make my day  []