Houston – The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) will hold a press briefing on Tuesday, April 22 at 1 p.m. CDT (2 p.m. EDT) and a public hearing on Wednesday, April 23 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. CDT (10 a.m. to 6 p.m. EDT). Both events are at the Hilton NASA Clear Lake, Houston, Texas.
At the press briefing, Board Chairman Hal Gehman will be joined by a board member from each of the CAIB’s three working groups to provide an update about the ongoing investigation. Members of the working press with the appropriate credentials are welcome to attend.
On Wednesday, the Board’s chairman, retired Navy Admiral Harold W. "Hal" Gehman Jr., and other board members will hear from individuals who have been asked to appear before the Board. Experts will discuss: Trade-Offs Made Suring the Shuttle’s Initial Design and Development Period and How Issues Related to Managing Aging Aircraft May Relate to the Shuttle Program
The speakers include: Dr. Milton Silveira, Shuttle Program Chief Engineer; George Jeffs, Rockwell Shuttle Program Manager; Aaron Cohen, Orbiter Project Manager; Owen Morris, Shuttle Chief of Integration; Dr. Jean Gebman, RAND Corporation; Col. Michael Carpenter (USAF), Chief, Aging Aircraft Division, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Chairman, Joint Council on Aging Aircraft and Diane Vaughan, Professor, Department of Sociology, Boston College
CNN is the pool for the hearing. They will broadcast on: Wednesday, April 23, Bird: AMC-5, Transponder: 11-J (Digital), Symbol Rate: 3.9787, Downlink Frequency: 12059 vertical, Polarity: vertical, Frequency/Code Rate: 14358.625 horizontal , Data Rate: 5.5, FEC (Forward Error Correction): 3/4, 8:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m., CDT. Tracy Sabo, Producer, CNN News is the pool coordinator. She can be reached at: 214/747-1440 or contact CNN Newsbeam at 404/827-1094.
The following are brief biographies of the hearing’s speakers:
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Milton A Silveira is a Technical Advisor to the Program Director, Missile Defense Agency in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Prior to retiring from NASA, he served as NASA’s Chief Engineer in Washington, D.C. Mr. Silveira joined the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), Langley, Hampton, Virginia in 1951, seven years before NACA merged into the newly created National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). He worked on all of the Manned Spacecraft Programs and the Mercury to Space Station. He was Chief of Engineering during Space Shuttle studies and Deputy Project of the Orbiter, with primary responsibilities in aerodynamics, heating, thermal protection, trajectories abort and normal landing. Mr. Silveira holds an honorary Doctorate from the University of Vermont, a Masters of Science degree from University of Virginia and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Vermont.
George W. Jeffs retired from Rockwell International Corporation where he was President of the company’s Aerospace and Energy Operations and a corporate vice president. As co-founder and president of Corporate Strategic Defense Center, he consulted for Rockwell, Boeing, NASA and the Los Alamos National Laboratory. He was the former President of North American Aviation Incorporated’s North American Space Division for both the Apollo and Shuttle Programs. He was also the Vice President, Program Manager and Chief Engineer for the Apollo CSM program. Mr. Jeffs received his Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Washington, Seattle. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering.
Professor Aaron Cohen is a Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering. Formerly, he was appointed H.B. Zachry Professor of Engineering at Texas A&M University, where he taught senior mechan-i-cal engineering design. Prior to his retirement from NASA, Professor Cohen was the Director of NASA’s Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas and held the position of Acting Deputy Administrator of NASA for a year. Other positions held during his tenure include: Center Director, Director of Research and Engineer-ing, Manager of the Command and Service Module in the Apollo Space-craft Program Office and was named Space Shuttle Orbiter Project Manager. Professor Cohen authored many articles for scientific and technical journals and publications. He was presented the Lawrence Hargrave Lecture at the International Aerospace Congress. Professor Cohen received an Honorary Doctor of Engineering from Stevens Institute of Technology, an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from The University of Houston – Clear Lake, a Master of Science degree in Applied Mathe-mat-ics from Stevens Institute of Technology and a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas A&M University.
Owen G. Morris is the founder, CEO, and Chairman of Eagle Aerospace Inc., which specialize in conceptual design of space vehicles and program management consulting. Mr. Owens retired from NASA Langley Field, Johnson Space Center after 32 years. During his tenure with NASA, he spent 10 years in the Apollo Program as Chief Engineer of the Lunar Module, Manager of the Lunar Module Project, and Manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program. He also was the Manager of System Integration in the STS Program.
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
1 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Dr. Jean Gebman is a Senior Engineer with the RAND Corporation. His current research is focusing on assisting the Air Force in developing a fleet assessment system that seeks to create an analysis environment, architecture, tools and databases that will facilitate the application of resources across aging fleets and over time. During his tenure, his work has supported initiatives that the United States Air Force has undertaken to address the challenges of safely sustaining its fleets of aging aircraft. This has included participation in the USAF Aging Aircraft IPT. Additionally, his work has addressed all of the functional areas of military aircraft including structures, aerodynamics, propulsion, avionics, electronic countermeasures, ground support equipment, maintenance systems and training systems. Previously, he participated in a study of aircraft reliability and maintainability conducted by the USAF Scientific Advisory Board, and a study of next generation aircraft carriers sponsored by the Naval Sciences Board. He also served as Associate Head of the Engineering and Applied Sciences Department, Associate Head of the Resource Management and Acquisition Program and the leader of a wide array of research projects. Most of his research has focused on the acquisition and support of military aircraft. Dr. Gebman received his Ph.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles, a Masters in Science from University of Michigan and a Bachelor in Science from Syracuse University.
Michael Carpenter is Chief of the Aging Aircraft Division within the Aeronautical Enterprise Program Office, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. He is charged with developing the Air Force’s Comprehensive Aging Aircraft Strategy. His career included acting as an avionics engineer and a program manager A-10 System Program Management Division, McClellan AFB, California. He also served as the F-15 Integrated Logistics Support Manager, and first Site Activation Task Force Manager for the new F-15E Strike Eagle, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. Colonel Carpenter held the position of Military Assistant to the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Communications and Logistics at the Pentagon, Chief of the F-22 Support Systems Division, Wright-Patterson AFB, and Manager, and Chief of the F-22 System Support Division. McClellan AFB. He earned his Masters of Science degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California and a Masters of Science in National Strategic Resource Planning from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces Colonel the Air Force Reserve Officer and a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University.
Dr. Diane Vaughan is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. She is currently a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellow, School of Social Science, at the Institute for Advance Study in Princeton. She has published several books including The Challenger Launch Decision: Risky Technology, Culture, and Deviance at NASA. She teaches and researches in the sociology of organizations, culture, deviance and social control, and science, knowledge, and technology. Dr. Vaughan earned her Ph.D. and Masters of Art in Sociology and a Bachelors of Art all from Ohio State University.
