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CNN Live Sunday

NASA Moves Forward With Mission Control Changes

Aired February 01, 2004 - 16:23   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, how is NASA trying to make sure nothing like the horror one year ago today ever happens again, "Orlando Sentinel" space editor, Michael Cabbage, has written a "Comm Check: The Final Flight of Shuttle Columbia". He joins us from Orlando.
Good to see you, too.

MICHAEL CABBAGE, "ORLANDO SENTINEL: Good to see you, too.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well there have been criticism that the foam problem in the Space Shuttle Columbia is an issue that arised several times before, however, without such tragic results. How should Americans feel comforted that this will not happen again, if indeed NASA returns another space shuttle.

CABBAGE: NASA is taking a lot of precautions as they get ready to return to flight to cure some of these organizational issues that led to them becoming too comfortable with the foam. As you've mentioned, foam strikes on the orbiter had been a problem since the very dawn of the program, but over time, mission managers had become too comfortable with it and NASA now is going to try to make sure that the managers don't become too comfortable with the foam and that they look at these things, and these sorts of problems carefully.

WHITFIELD: Well, how does NASA try to tackle that problem? That has been the major criticism that this level of complacency has stood in the way of a proficient program?

CABBAGE: Well, one of the things that they're going to be doing, is they're going to be giving training to mission managers so they're better equipped to deal with emergencies. They're running simulations right now at Johnson Space Center periodically to make sure that the mission managers, when they're put in these situations in the future, that they know better how to respond.

The other thing they're trying to do is make sure that the people down on -- on down in the organization, the lower level engineers, that they're communications percolate up to the top, and that mission managers are more responsive to hearing what the people beneath them are saying.

WHITFIELD: So is it your feeling that all of these measures would have to be in place before another shuttle were to be launched?

CABBAGE; I think they're going to have to be well down the road on making some of these changes. They're going to have to figure out a way not only to make the change, but they're going to have to figure a way to make sure the changes stay in place.

After the Challenger accident, there were a lot of similar concerns in 1986. And a lot of those concerns were answers. But as the years went by, then some of these problems began top resurface.

WHITFIELD: So, is it feasible, in your opinion, to think that a shuttle could be launched by this fall?

CABBAGE: I think it's feasible. But I think it may be in to 2005 before the shuttle actually does fly. There are a lot of people within NASA who think that it's going to take that long, not only to make the organizational changes, get them underway, but also hardware changes they'll have to make as well.

WHITFIELD: There have been some opinions expressed that the president's proposal of putting a man on the Moon and even on Mars has, in some way, kind of revieved what could have ban dying space program. Do you agree with that?

CABBAGE; I'm not sure I would have calmed it a dying space program, but there's no question that the president's proposal has stirred a lot of excitement in some areas. Returning to the moon, going to Mars for the first time, those are things a lot of people have wanted to do for a long time.

The question is going to be, can you sustain the political will required to do that and can you come up with the funding over a long period of time that's required to do that.

WHITFIELD: Michael Cabbage, good to see you. Thanks very much.

CABBAGE: My pleasure.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired February 1, 2004 - 16:23   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDERICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Well, how is NASA trying to make sure nothing like the horror one year ago today ever happens again, "Orlando Sentinel" space editor, Michael Cabbage, has written a "Comm Check: The Final Flight of Shuttle Columbia". He joins us from Orlando.
Good to see you, too.

MICHAEL CABBAGE, "ORLANDO SENTINEL: Good to see you, too.

WHITFIELD: All right. Well there have been criticism that the foam problem in the Space Shuttle Columbia is an issue that arised several times before, however, without such tragic results. How should Americans feel comforted that this will not happen again, if indeed NASA returns another space shuttle.

CABBAGE: NASA is taking a lot of precautions as they get ready to return to flight to cure some of these organizational issues that led to them becoming too comfortable with the foam. As you've mentioned, foam strikes on the orbiter had been a problem since the very dawn of the program, but over time, mission managers had become too comfortable with it and NASA now is going to try to make sure that the managers don't become too comfortable with the foam and that they look at these things, and these sorts of problems carefully.

WHITFIELD: Well, how does NASA try to tackle that problem? That has been the major criticism that this level of complacency has stood in the way of a proficient program?

CABBAGE: Well, one of the things that they're going to be doing, is they're going to be giving training to mission managers so they're better equipped to deal with emergencies. They're running simulations right now at Johnson Space Center periodically to make sure that the mission managers, when they're put in these situations in the future, that they know better how to respond.

The other thing they're trying to do is make sure that the people down on -- on down in the organization, the lower level engineers, that they're communications percolate up to the top, and that mission managers are more responsive to hearing what the people beneath them are saying.

WHITFIELD: So is it your feeling that all of these measures would have to be in place before another shuttle were to be launched?

CABBAGE; I think they're going to have to be well down the road on making some of these changes. They're going to have to figure out a way not only to make the change, but they're going to have to figure a way to make sure the changes stay in place.

After the Challenger accident, there were a lot of similar concerns in 1986. And a lot of those concerns were answers. But as the years went by, then some of these problems began top resurface.

WHITFIELD: So, is it feasible, in your opinion, to think that a shuttle could be launched by this fall?

CABBAGE: I think it's feasible. But I think it may be in to 2005 before the shuttle actually does fly. There are a lot of people within NASA who think that it's going to take that long, not only to make the organizational changes, get them underway, but also hardware changes they'll have to make as well.

WHITFIELD: There have been some opinions expressed that the president's proposal of putting a man on the Moon and even on Mars has, in some way, kind of revieved what could have ban dying space program. Do you agree with that?

CABBAGE; I'm not sure I would have calmed it a dying space program, but there's no question that the president's proposal has stirred a lot of excitement in some areas. Returning to the moon, going to Mars for the first time, those are things a lot of people have wanted to do for a long time.

The question is going to be, can you sustain the political will required to do that and can you come up with the funding over a long period of time that's required to do that.

WHITFIELD: Michael Cabbage, good to see you. Thanks very much.

CABBAGE: My pleasure.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com