Since the loss of the shuttle Columbia and her valiant crew, we at the
Johnson Space Center have shared many difficult days as we devoted ourselves
to supporting an investigation of the accident while coping with our own
deep emotions and grief. I am proud of the courageous job our team has done
in that effort, and I am grateful for the exemplary diligence and dedication
the Columbia Accident Investigation Board has given its task.

The JSC team is fully committed to complying with the board’s
recommendations and improving the safety of human space flight. We are
driven in that task by an unshaken deep belief in the value our efforts hold
for our nation and the world. I am confident that from these difficult days
will come a better future for human space flight.

Jefferson D. Howell Jr., Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center Director