| NASA Press Release | |
| Space Shuttle Accident Investigation Board Charter Amended | |
The NASA charter for the independent panel in charge of the Space Shuttle Columbia accident investigation has been amended. The changes allow the Space Shuttle Accident Investigation Board additional flexibility in acquiring support staff and expertise outside of NASA.
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe has indicated the charter will continue to be updated as necessary to ensure the panel, which is known as the Gehman Board, remains independent during the course of the investigation.
On Saturday, Admiral Harold W. Gehman, Jr., announced the addition of Dr. Shelia Widnall of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Mass., to the panel. Dr. Widnall, former Secretary of the Air Force from 1993 to 1997, is a world-renowned expert in aircraft turbulence and spiraling airflows. She will begin meeting with the other members of the Gehman Board Thursday, Feb. 20, in Houston.
An updated copy of the board's charter and letter from the NASA Administrator is on the Internet at www.nasa.gov.