Next shuttle flight needs lots of work

NASA officials said yesterday they still have a lot of work to do to prepare for the next shuttle mission.

But nearly a year after the Space Shuttle Columbia broke apart during re-entry, killing seven astronauts and initiating a scathing review of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the agency said the next shuttle could be launched as early as Sept. 12.

“Right now there is not a showstopper that says we can’t get there,” said Michael Kostelnik, deputy associate administrator for the International Space Station and space shuttle programs at NASA.

The space agency still must figure out how to inspect and repair thermal-protection tiles like those damaged during the launch of Columbia.

Investigators concluded a chunk of foam insulation broke off Columbia’s external fuel tank and slammed into the leading edge of its left wing, creating a gap that allowed scorching gases to penetrate the orbiter and cause its destruction Feb. 1 moments before it was scheduled to land.

Investigators also said management problems at NASA are as responsible for Columbia’s demise as mechanical errors.

William Readdy, NASA’s associate administrator for spaceflight, said in a conference call with reporters that the agency is trying to address those issues, too.

“It’s not about what we say. It’s about what we do,” he said.

A committee assembled by NASA to measure its efforts to comply with recommendations from the Columbia Accident Investigation Board said last week that the agency has not done enough.

The NASA-appointed Return to Flight Task Group, headed by two former astronauts, said NASA has improved the safety of the space shuttles, but it hasn’t complied fully with the recommendations of the accident investigation board.

“Would we like to be further along?” Mr. Kostelnik asked. “You can probably say we’d like to be.”

But it is premature to judge the agency’s progress since it hasn’t completed its work, he said.

NASA is preparing two shuttles — Atlantis and Discovery — for flight.

Finding and fixing broken thermal-protection tiles during orbit are among the most difficult challenges remaining.

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