Posted: Wed, Dec 31 6:38 AM ET (1138 GMT)
The crew of the space shuttle Columbia lost consciousness within seconds of the breakup of the orbiter during reentry on the STS-107 mission nearly six years ago, a NASA report released Tuesday concludes. An investigation by NASA determined that the crew module of Columbia suffered rapid depressurization after it broke away from the orbiter on February 1, 2003, incapacitating the seven astronauts on board before they could configure their pressure suits. The astronauts also suffered "lethal trauma" from the rapid rotation of the crew compartment after breakup, primarily because of a lack of upper-body restraints. The high altitude and speed of the breakup made the accident unsurvivable with any existing capability, according to the report. NASA prepared the report, which includes 30 recommendations for safety improvements, to guide the development of not just its own Orion spacecraft but other manned vehicles developed by other countries and commercial entities. The report was released during an ordinarily quiet period between Christmas and New Years so that the children of the crew's families would be at home when the report was released to allow discussion of it in privacy.

Related Links:

•  Houston Chronicle article
•  SPACE.com article
•  CBS News/Spaceflight Now article
•  Florida Today article
•  NASA press release

Posted: Sun, Apr 15 11:21 AM ET (1521 GMT)
NASA gave $26.6 million to the families of the astronauts killed on the STS-107 shuttle mission in 2003, the Orlando Sentinel reported Sunday. The settlement, made in 2004 but not revealed by the space agency until it released documents associated with the deal under a Freedom of Information Act request, was reached between NASA and the families through a mediation process led by former FBI director William Webster. The settlement was made to avoid lawsuits, and the settlement was not announced by NASA to protect the families' privacy, according to a NASA spokesperson. Few other details about the settlement were included in the documents obtained by the newspaper.

Related Links:

•  Orlando Sentinel article
•  AP article

Panel members criticize NASA return to flight work
Posted: Thu, Aug 18 7:48 AM ET (1148 GMT)
Several members of a task force charged with evaluating NASA's effort to return the space shuttle flight believe the agency has yet to solve...

Panel finds NASA falls short on shuttle fixes
Posted: Tue, Jun 28 7:09 AM ET (1109 GMT)
An independent panel reviewing NASA's compliance with recommendations made in the wake of the Columbia accident found that the agency has failed to meet...

Panel closes more CAIB recommendations
Posted: Thu, Jun 9 7:38 AM ET (1138 GMT)
An independent panel said Wednesday that NASA has now met 12 of the 15 recommendations in the final report of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (...