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US shuttle programme undergoes administrative shake-up
Washington, July 03: The US space shuttle program, still reeling from the tragic demise of the Columbia orbiter in February, has been rocked by a major management shake-up, amid indications NASA officials may have failed to act on signs the spaceship was in trouble soon after liftoff.
Washington, July 03: The US space shuttle program, still reeling from the tragic demise of the Columbia orbiter in February, has been rocked by a major management shake-up, amid indications NASA officials may have failed to act on signs the spaceship was in trouble soon after liftoff.
With key congressional overseers demanding action, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced yesterday that Ralph Roe, the man in charge of shuttle engineering at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, is being shipped off to another job.
He is heading to Hampton, Virginia, where he will serve as special assistant to the director NASA`s Langley Research Center, a civilian aeronautics laboratory with only a supporting role in the space exploration program.
The US space agency took great pains to avoid any appearance of a demotion, praising roe as "a success" on all of his previous jobs.
But congressional officials made clear that his departure from Houston resulted from direct pressure from the Senate committee on commerce, science and transportation, whose leaders had demanded that NASA take responsibility for the fiery crash of Columbia, which killed all seven members of its crew, including India-born Kalpana Chawla.
Although no official announcement has been made, US media reports today said that also leaving Houston will be Linda Ham, who headed the mission management team during the ill-fated Columbia flight.
Bureau Report
He is heading to Hampton, Virginia, where he will serve as special assistant to the director NASA`s Langley Research Center, a civilian aeronautics laboratory with only a supporting role in the space exploration program.
The US space agency took great pains to avoid any appearance of a demotion, praising roe as "a success" on all of his previous jobs.
But congressional officials made clear that his departure from Houston resulted from direct pressure from the Senate committee on commerce, science and transportation, whose leaders had demanded that NASA take responsibility for the fiery crash of Columbia, which killed all seven members of its crew, including India-born Kalpana Chawla.
Although no official announcement has been made, US media reports today said that also leaving Houston will be Linda Ham, who headed the mission management team during the ill-fated Columbia flight.
Bureau Report