Posted: Sat, Aug 16, 2003, 12:50 PM ET (1650 GMT)
NASA's Inspector General (IG) has concluded that the Columbia Accident Investigation Board is acting independently and without "undue influence" from NASA. In a letter to NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe published Friday, IG Robert Cobb said his investigation had led him to conclude that NASA was not interfering with the CAIB's work. The letter noted that both NASA policy and the board's original charter had provisions that could have created interference, but revisions to the charter made in the weeks after the Columbia accident largely corrected the problem. Members of Congress and other outside experts have expressed concerns on a number of occasions that the way the board was structured reduced the CAIB's independence and effectiveness. The IG office plans additional audits and reviews of the board in the coming months.

Related Links:

•  NASA OIG press release