WASHINGTON -- Eight months after the shuttle Columbia tragedy, some NASA employees have yet to accept that the federal agency must change, space agency administrator Sean O'Keefe said Thursday.
"We've got to recognize it, and we've got to get out of the denial phase," O'Keefe told employees in an afternoon appearance broadcast live to the entire NASA work force.
Standing on an auditorium stage at NASA headquarters, O'Keefe said the agency is making progress toward implementing safety recommendations made by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board.
He repeatedly returned to the theme that NASA's work force -- from experienced managers to newly hired technicians -- needs to embrace a new ethos of openness and communication to avoid the false sense of security that contributed to the loss of seven astronauts and a $2 billion shuttle Feb. 1. In an attempt to boost morale and show workers the agency has overcome extreme challenges in the past, O'Keefe turned over the stage to Gene Kranz, the straight-talking, nerves-of-steel flight director immortalized in the movie "Apollo 13."
Now a motivational speaker, Kranz said he is confident NASA will recover.
"We've seen the triumphs of high achievement," Kranz said. "When we failed, at least we failed while daring greatly. This, I believe, is the legacy of this agency."
Kranz recalled the commitment and teamwork that was NASA's hallmark in its early years. He also recounted the grief that engulfed the young agency when the Apollo 1 crew was killed in a launch-pad fire on Jan. 27, 1967.
"At 6:31 that evening, we were startled by screams coming from our crew," Kranz said, his voice betraying little emotion. "We listened to their screams as they died. We knew we were responsible for America's first space disaster."
For NASA workers now coping with the aftermath of the Columbia tragedy, Kranz offered words of encouragement but no easy solutions.
"The American public has a very short memory," Kranz said. "It is very important for NASA to continue to put into public focus what we are doing, why we are doing it. You've got a real challenge."
As part of his push to help NASA's work force embrace the findings of the CAIB, O'Keefe said he is designating the week ofNov. 17 as a special time of awareness for individuals and teams all over the agency to read the board's report and discuss its findings.
"Various folks are in various levels of acceptance," O'Keefe said later at a roundtable discussion with reporters. "You find a wide array of reaction that ranges from acceptance all the way to the other side, where there is residual evidence of denial."
Published under license from FLORIDA TODAY. Copyright © 2003 FLORIDA TODAY. No portion of this material may be reproduced in any way without the written consent of FLORIDA TODAY.
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