Congressman Davis Joins Democratic House Science Committee Members In Sending Letter To President February 06, 2003

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Congressman Lincoln Davis (TN-04) joined 16 other Democratic members of the House Science Committee today in writing President Bush to recommend an expansion of the charter and the composition of the Accident Investigation Board, the independent inquiry currently examining the tragic loss of the space shuttle Columbia.

"My hope is that instead of holding an investigation and laying blame we will conduct a review to determine the cause of this horrible tragedy and perfect a solution so that future shuttle missions can occur as safe as possible," Davis commented.

Drawing on the "independent, broad-ranging" example provided by the 1986 Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger accident (the Rogers Commission) their letter calls for:

• "a broad mandate encompassing contributory causes, management issues, and pressures on the system";
• "the Board to report to the President and the Congress, not the NASA Administrator;
• "the staff serving the Board to be "drawn from agencies other than NASA; and
• "addition of new Board members "drawn from among distinguished leaders of the government, and the scientific, technical, and management communities," as was the case with the Rogers Commission. Administrator O'Keefe has already indicated a willingness to consider additional Board members.

Representative Ralph Hall (TX- 04) is the Ranking Democratic member of the House Science Committee, Representative Bart Gordon (TN-06) is the Ranking Democratic member of the Committee's Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics.

A copy of the letter is attached.