Posted: Thu, Jul 10, 2003, 10:56 AM ET (1456 GMT)
The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) will delay the publication of its final report by a month, board members said Wednesday. The CAIB had planned to publish the report by July 25, when Congress recesses for its summer break, but now plans to publish the report around August 25. Board members said they needed the additional time to convert evidence, including 170,000 pages of materials, into a report no longer than 400 pages. CAIB chairman Harold Gehman had repeatedly cautioned earlier that while the July publication date was a goal, it was not a hard deadline, and that they would delay the report if necessary to make sure it was completed properly. NASA officials said the delay should not affect their preparations to return the shuttle to flight because they have been in close contact with the CAIB, which has issued several preliminary recommendations in advance of the final report.

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