Senate Inquiry Comes Down Hard on NASA

With the Columbia accident report complete, US senators began a series of inquiries into how NASA has responded to the challenges that its culture and lack of safety concerns ultimately contributed to the shuttle's destruction. NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe received stinging criticism from the Senate committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation that NASA hadn't fired enough people after the accident - O'Keefe felt it was pointless to name people responsible for the accident if they hadn't acted maliciously. The committee then demanded that NASA prepare a report to analyze the cost and benefits of space flight. (Source: AP)