Posted: Thu, Feb 20, 2003, 9:55 AM ET (1455 GMT)
Members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (AIB) said this week that they planned to expand the scope of their investigation to look potential problems within NASA itself. Admiral Harold Gehman, chairman of the AIB, said that the panel’s final report is designed to be a "good intellectual debate about what we do next," the Washington Post reported. The report, he said, would put the loss of Columbia "in context of our space exploration quest." NASA also amended the AIB's charter for the third time this week, dropping any references to deadlines, NASA oversight of the panel's work, and the requirement that the panel submit its report directly to NASA. The AIB is planning its first public hearing a week from Thursday in Houston, where it will hear testimony from experts

Related Links:

•  Washington Post article
•  Los Angeles Times article
•  AP article
•  NASA press release