Shuttle’s return to space hits pothole

The Stafford-Covey Return to Flight Task Group's final public meeting was to have taken place Thursday in Houston. It was postponed indefinitely following two days of fact-finding at NASA's Johnson Space Center.

Led by former astronauts Richard Covey and Thomas Stafford, the 26-member oversight panel is monitoring NASA's compliance with safety requirements set by investigators of the February 2003 space shuttle Columbia accident. The report will assess NASA's readiness to launch Discovery on the first mission in more than two years.

In a statement issued on the eve of the meeting, Covey said deliberations were being delayed because NASA had not completed two necessary internal reviews. "Meaningful conclusions must await data and information being developed for the upcoming program milestones," he said.

One review will validate space shuttle safety enhancements. The other will examine NASA's analysis of the potentially catastrophic hazards posed by launch debris much smaller than the insulating foam that struck Columbia and led to its fatal breakup.

NASA said Thursday that it moved the reviews from late March to mid-April because it is waiting on test results. Discovery is being prepared for launch between May 15 and June 3. The task group has promised to deliver its assessment 30 days before the scheduled liftoff, but it appears unlikely the group will meet again before late April.

The task group's announcement came on the same day NASA reached a major preflight milestone. In the mammoth Kennedy Space Center Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida, workers mated Discovery to its external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters ahead of a planned Monday move to a seaside launch pad.