WASHINGTON (States News Service) - A House panel sent mixed messages to NASA on Thursday. Most of the ten subcommittee members who attended the hearing agreed that NASA's grounding of its shuttles was a "prudent decision," in the words of subcommittee chairman, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-California). Democratic Reps. Bart Gordon of Tennessee and Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas focused on the expense involved.
While other Democrats have largely taken NASA's side in the debate over budget cuts, Gordon said he was worried about the delays' effects on NASA's already shrinking budget. "Delays mean people are just standing around," Gordon told the NASA and USA officials. "I hope no one's going to come ask for additional funds."
Gordon insisted the witnesses explain the costs of keeping the shuttles grounded, and said he was concerned about the problems drawing money from NASA's FY2000 budget. "If this is going to cost NASA in the future, I want to know who's accountable," Gordon said.
The United Space Alliance (USA) - the private consortium responsible for building and maintaining the shuttles - "accepts full responsibility for delays," according to the shuttle maker's vice president, Michael McCulley. The shuttle delays, which are also due to hurricane weather, are costing USA $2.5 million, McCulley said when Gordon pressed the panel to give cost estimates.
NASA has hired two shifts of experts to investigate the shuttle Columbia's STS-93 central "anomalies," which is what NASA calls the chaffed wiring and hydrogen leaks discovered during and after last July's mission.
NASA Deputy Associate Administrator William Readdy testified that the hydrogen leak was caused by a gold plated pin puncturing coolant tubes and would no longer be a problem. The last Columbia mission was the last flight to use the older Phase II engines, which carry such pins. The shuttle is now being refitted with new engines, an improvement planned before the current problems were discovered.
The damage to the wiring, Readdy added, could have occurred anywhere from 8 to 25 flights ago.
NASA noticed wire damages in areas frequently accessed by repair workers back in 1989, and decided to take extra protective measures to protect them, McCulley said. But the recently inspected wires were not in those areas.
"Between two-thirds and three-fourths of the cases appear to be more cosmetic than actual problems with exposed conductors," McCulley said. "Someone probably stepped on that wire somewhere in its life."
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