Media representatives will have the opportunity to cover the arrival of the
Columbia Accident Investigation Board, at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC)
Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) on Wednesday, Feb. 12. Retired Navy Admiral
Harold W. Gehman, Jr., board chairman and the other members of the board are
scheduled to arrive at the SLF at about 11 a.m. EST.
In addition, a media pool will be selected to accompany the board and
observe some of their activities during their visit to KSC Feb. 12 – 13.
Locations the board will tour include the Orbiter Processing Facilities, the
Vehicle Assembly Building, the launch pads and the Launch Control Center.
Media may also cover the board’s departure from KSC Friday morning. The
current planned departure time from the SLF is 7:45 a.m. Friday, Feb. 14.
The independent board is charged with determining what caused the
destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the loss of its seven-member
crew on Feb. 1 during reentry.
Board members accompanying Admiral Gehman are: Rear Admiral Stephen
Turcotte, Commander, U.S. Naval Safety Center, Norfolk, Va.; Major General
John L. Barry, Director, Plans and Programs, Headquarters Air Force Materiel
Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio; Major General Kenneth W.
Hess, U.S. Air Force Chief of Safety, Washington; Dr. James N. Hallock,
Aviation Safety Division Chief, U.S. Department of Transportation,
Cambridge, Mass.; Steven B. Wallace, Director, Office of Accident
Investigation, Federal Aviation Administration, Washington; Scott Hubbard,
Director NASA Ames Research Center, Calif.; Roger E. Tetrault, former
Chairman of McDermott International, Inc.; Brigadier General Duane Deal,
Commander 21st Space Wing, Peterson Air Force Base, Colo.; and Bryan D.
O’Connor, NASA’s Associate Administrator for Safety and Mission Assurance.
NOTICE TO EDITORS: Media representatives wishing to participate should be at
the KSC Press Site by 10:15 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, for transport to the
SLF. Media wishing to attend the Board’s departure must be at the press
site by 7 a.m. Friday, Feb. 14.
STS-107 badging requirements and security restrictions for the media remain
in effect. Media parking will be at Gate 3 on S.R. 405. Additional
information regarding accreditation, transportation to the KSC Press Site,
and News Center operational hours is available by calling the KSC News
Center at (321) 867-2468.
