CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- It's almost over except for the shouting.
The Columbia Accident Investigation Board's (CAIB) final report is targeted for release by the end of July and isn't expected to include many surprises that will alter the widely accepted theories about what caused the Feb. 1 tragedy.
However, what is anticipated are the specific requirements the board will levy on NASA before the agency can return the shuttle fleet to flight -- some of which have already been announced -- as well as the overall reaction to the report's findings from Capitol Hill and the general public.
CAIB chief Harold Gehman, a retired Navy admiral, has repeatedly said the report will attempt to put the Columbia disaster in perspective, setting the stage for renewed national debate over the true risks and benefits of human spaceflight.
At the same time, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe recently warned agency employees the report was "going to be a nasty piece of writing" and that following the release things are "going to be really ugly."
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