Nasa looks to resume flights

By Richard Black
BBC science correspondent

The US space agency (Nasa) has published a plan of action which it hopes will lead to the space shuttle flying again early next year.

The plan is Nasa's response to the report issued two weeks ago by the board investigating the Columbia disaster, which heavily criticised management practices within the agency.

Nasa says both organisational and technical changes will be made

In one sense the plan is a long admission by Nasa that its own failings were partly responsible for the catastrophic break-up of the shuttle Columbia over the skies of Texas in February.

Look at the cause of the disaster

Responding to comments by the investigating board, Nasa says it has already established a new Engineering and Safety Center to provide enhanced safety expertise.

It will actively encourage staff to express their concerns, and it will strengthen procedures for supervising outside contractors.

Cost-cutting

On the technical side, there will be new procedures and new hardware for monitoring damage, a re-design of the fuel tank insulating foam which fatally damaged Columbia when a chunk of it broke off, and research into whether astronauts could repair the shuttle in orbit.

How much this will all cost is not yet clear; but when Nasa does come up with a budget, the US Government will be under some pressure to provide the funds, having itself been criticised for excessive cost-cutting by the investigation board.

The agency hopes that by showing it is serious about improving safety, flights can begin in March or April next year.

In depth guide: Columbia's last mission

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