Lampson Questions Holding Joint Hearing Eleven Days After Columbia Tragedy

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Representative Nick Lampson gave the following statement at the Joint Science Committee Hearing on the Space Shuttle Columbia:

“I would like to thank you Administrator O’Keefe for coming to Capitol Hill to testify today. As the Member of Congress who represents Johnson Space Center, I would also like to thank you for the support and encouragement you have provided to the space center community in Houston during this very difficult time.

“I am somewhat of a reluctant participant in this hearing. Today is the eleventh day since the tragic loss of the space shuttle Columbia. There is so much that we do not know yet and some things we may never know. It is my understanding that there were no congressional hearings on the Challenger investigation in 1986 until after the Rogers Commission completed their report four months later.

“While I know we are operating under different circumstances with three astronauts orbiting the earth in the International Space Station, I do question the merits of having this hearing so soon after the Columbia shuttle accident.

“I believe Congress needs to allow the investigation to move forward and let the accident investigation board members do their work. Hopefully we will complement your efforts and not impede the process.

“That being said, I firmly believe the Administration needs to move forward with a truly independent investigation similar to what President Reagan appointed in 1986 after the Challenger accident. I think NASA made a good first step by revising the board’s charter last week, but I still believe NASA’s external investigation team is too closely tied to the agency.

“As NASA Administrator the board’s charter allows you to appoint the team members, to staff the Board with NASA employees and receive the final report. In order for this review to have credibility, I believe it needs to have team members who are truly independent and who report to the White House and Congress.

“Seeing all of these cameras and the media presence in this hearing room begs the question, where was all of this attention to our human space flight programs before February 1st? While I applaud the renewed interest, I regret that it takes the loss of seven fine astronauts for our space program to make the front page of the paper or the top story on the evening news.

“While it may seem routine, the work that is being done by NASA in outer space is far from routine. We are doing so many great things in space that benefit us right here on earth. My hope is that somehow this terrible tragedy will spur the Administration to develop an interest in a robust space program.

“I would like to call for a new space race for the 21st Century. This space race is not against an old cold war enemy, or an emerging power in the east. But rather, our new space race needs to be against ourselves for our own future.”