Fri, Jan 15, 2010
Small Amount Of Cocaine Discovered In A Secure Area
NASA has launched an extensive investigation after a small
amount of cocaine was found in a restricted area of the processing
hangar for shuttle Discovery at Kennedy Space Center, FL. There are
no indications the incident has impacted Discovery's readiness for
its planned launch in March.
"This is a rare and isolated incident, and I'm disappointed that
it happened, but it should not detract from the outstanding work
that is being done by a dedicated team on a daily basis," Kennedy
Space Center Director Bob Cabana said. "We are conducting an
investigation and working with center security and law enforcement
officials to get to the bottom of it. We have multiple checks and
balances in place to ensure the work on the orbiter is done
correctly, and I have no concern for Discovery's fitness for
flight."
While there are no indications anyone who was working on
Discovery was under the influence of any illegal substances, drug
testing of personnel who were in that area has been conducted.
There were about 200 NASA and contractor personnel who were around
the facility at the time the drug was found.
Extensive efforts are being made to ensure flight hardware and
equipment that will be used by astronauts on Discovery's upcoming
STS-131 mission are completely safe.
"We have processes that will ensure the integrity of the
shuttle," Cabana said. "There is no reason whatsoever to believe
this incident will have any impact on Discovery's upcoming
launch."
Meticulous records are kept on all work that is performed.
Shuttle safety and quality assurance teams have the capability to
trace individuals' work in detail. In addition, most work tasks are
reviewed and approved by one, and sometimes two, quality inspectors
and specialists who verify proper work was done on critical flight
hardware.
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