Posted: Sat, Jun 28, 2003, 1:19 PM ET (1719 GMT)
The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) issued Friday a preliminary recommendation that NASA develop techniques to inspect shuttles for tile damage while in orbit and repair any damage found. The recommendation, the third in a series of interim recommendations made by the board before it issues its final report next month, states that NASA should develop techniques to inspect shuttles when docked to the International Space Station, as well as autonomous techniques for checking shuttles on missions that do not go to the station. The CAIB also recommended that NASA develop ways to make emergency repairs to any tiles or other components of the shuttle's thermal protection system while in orbit. The board recommended that those inspection and repair techniques be available before the shuttle returns to flight. A NASA spokesperson told the New York Times that the agency has already been working on such a system for the "past couple of months", describing the problem as "not insurmountable."

Related Links:

•  CAIB press release
•  SPACE.com article
•  Florida Today article
•  New York Times article
•  Orlando Sentinel article