The List Of Invited Guests Is Truly Out Of This World

The first American woman to walk in space, the Hubble Space Telescope repair mission commander, the first African-American to command a spaceship, the first American to occupy Russia's Mir space station, and the commander of the 1986 ill- fated Challenger 51-L have been chosen for 2004 induction in the Astronaut Hall of Fame. Joining such illustrious American icons as Neil Armstrong, John Glenn, Alan Shepard, John Glenn and Sally Ride as Hall of Fame inductees will be: Kathryn D. Sullivan, Richard O. Covey, Frederick D. Gregory, Norman E. Thagard and Francis R. Dick Scobee, who will be represented by June Scobee. The honorees will be enshrined in the Hall of Fame during a May 1 public ceremony at the Kennedy Space C

Equipment Loss Cited As Main Beef Against Agency

Spacehab Inc., maker of the living modules used in the U.S. space shuttle fleet, slapped NASA with a big lawsuit on Tuesday, as it tries to recoup its losses from the tragic Columbia crash. The company filed an $87.7 million formal claim against the space agency for equipment destroyed during the shuttle disaster last year. Spacehab bases the merits of its case on the recent findings of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB). Spacehab, which had filed a draft claim in July, said it revised its newest claim to incorporate the findings of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board report. The CAIB said in August that NASA officials missed eight chances to address fears that falling insulation foam may have damaged

Agency Criticized For Lagging Progress

Nearly a year after the Columbia disaster, NASA is only beginning to implement the sweeping changes recommended as conditions for the space shuttles' return to flight, an independent task group reported on Tuesday.The independent panel, called the Return to Flight Task Group, was charged with monitoring NASA's progress in complying with recommendations of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, which probed the shuttle's fatal Feb. 1, 2003, break-up over Texas. The task group, headed by former shuttle commander Richard Covey and Apollo mission commander Thomas Stafford, reported that NASA's plan to create a central authority responsible for safety was "missing critical elements" and its implementation was "under way, but incomp