Press Releases October 28, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Releases Vols. II-VI of Final Report The Columbia Accident Investigation Board today released Vols. II-VI of the CAIB's Final Report. These volumes contain appendices that provide the supporting documentation for the main text of the Final Report contained in Vol. 1... More October 24, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board To Release Vols. II-VI of Final Report The Columbia Accident Investigation Board will release Vols. II-VI of the CAIB's Final Report at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2003 on its website... More August 26, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Releases Final Report The Columbia Accident Investigation Board today presented its final report on the causes of the Feb. 1, 2003 Space Shuttle accident to the White House, Congress and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration... More August 21, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Will Release Final Report on August 26, 2003 The Columbia Accident Investigation Board will hold a press briefing to discuss its final report on the cause of the February 1, 2003 Space Shuttle accident on Tuesday, August 26, 2003 at 11 a.m. EDT at the National Transportation Safety Board... More July 1, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Issues Preliminary Recommendation Four: Launch and Ascent Imaging The Columbia Accident Investigation Board today issued its fourth preliminary finding and recommendation to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, in advance of its appearance in the final report... More June 27, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Issues Preliminary Recommendation Three: On-Orbit/On-Station TPS Inspection and Repair Capability The Columbia Accident Investigation Board today issued its third preliminary recommendation to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, in advance of its appearance in the final report... More June 26, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Holds Press Briefing The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) will hold a press briefing on  Friday, July 11 at 11:00 a.m. EDT at the National Transportation Safety Board Conference Center... More June 20, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Holds Press Briefing Board Chairman Hal Gehman will be joined by a board member from each of the CAIB's working groups to provide an update about the ongoing investigation... More June 9, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Holds Seventh Public Hearing and Press Briefing The Board's chairman, retired Navy Admiral Harold W. "Hal" Gehman Jr., and other board members will hear from individuals who have been asked to appear before the Board to discuss the history and management of the Shuttle Program... More June 6, 2003: Foam Impact Test Breaks Reinforced Carbon-Carbon Panel An initial foam impact test on a section of an orbiter reinforced carbon-carbon left-wing leading edge showed visible and significant damage... More May 29, 2003: Shuttle Leading Edge Foam Impact Test Update The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) reported the initial foam impact test on the Enterprise’s fiberglass leading edge panel showed significant effects... More May 27, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Holds Press Briefing Board Chairman Hal Gehman will be joined by a board member from each of the CAIB's working groups to provide an update about the ongoing investigation... More May 16, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Holds Press Briefing Board Chairman Hal Gehman will be joined by a board member from each of the CAIB's three working groups to provide an update about the ongoing investigation... More May 13, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Updates Foam Testing The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) completed the first round of foam impact tests on the thermal protection tiles of the main landing gear door... More May 6, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Releases Working Scenario After three months of intense investigation ... the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, with the assistance of the NASA Accident Investigation Team (NAIT), has reached the following preliminary conclusions... More May 2, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Holds Sixth Public Hearing and Press Briefing Experts will discuss: OEX timeline update, ascent video, debris and radar cross-section test results... More April 25, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Press Briefing The board’s chairman, retired Navy Admiral Harold W. "Hal" Gehman Jr., will be joined by a board member from each of the CAIB’s three working groups to provide an update about the ongoing investigation... More April 24, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Focuses Efforts At a meeting today with the NASA Accident Investigation Team (NAIT), the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) received evidence supporting multiple... More April 21, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Hosts Safety Seminar The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) will host a safety seminar with nationally recognized safety professionals from industry and academia... More April 21, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Holds Press Briefing and Fifth Public Hearing At the press briefing, Board Chairman Hal Gehman will be joined by a board member from each of the CAIB's three working groups to provide an update about the ongoing investigation... More April 17, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Issues Preliminary Recommendations The Columbia Accident Investigation Board today issued two preliminary recommendations to NASA... More April 11, 2003: The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) will hold a Press Briefing Board Chairman Hal Gehman will be joined by a board member from each of the CAIB's three working groups to provide an update about the ongoing investigation... More April 4, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Holds Fourth Public Hearing On the first day of the hearing, experts will discuss: Post Flight Analysis, Flight Rules and the History of Foam Separation on the External Tank. Day two participants will discuss NASA Safety Issues and the History of Debris Hits on the Orbiter... More March 30, 2003: Columbia’s Recorder Provides Useful Data The Columbia Accident Investigation Board announced today that there is significant data on the Orbiter Experiment Support System... More March 28, 2003: Accident Board Grieves for Searchers Lost in Helicopter Crash The members and staff of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board were saddened to learn that a helicopter searching for debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia crashed in Texas yesterday... More March 28, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Press Briefing Board Chairman Hal Gehman will be joined by a board member from each of the CAIB’s three working groups to provide an update about the ongoing investigation... More March 27, 2003: Review of Columbia’s Data RecorderWill Begin This Weekend A preliminary review of Columbia’s data recorder, known as the Orbiter Experiments Supports System (OEX,) indicates that potential data may exist... More March 21, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Holds Third Public Hearing The Board's chairman, retired Navy Admiral Harold W. "Hal" Gehman Jr., and other board members will hear from individuals who have been asked to appear before the Board. Experts will discuss the Role of the Kennedy Space Center in the Shuttle Program... More March 20, 2003: Columbia Data Recorder Recovered Search teams near Hemphill, Texas yesterday recovered the Orbiter Experiment Support System recorder (OEX) from Columbia, and have sent it to NASA’s Johnson Space Center for cleaning and analysis... More March 15, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Holds Second Public Hearing The board's chairman, retired Navy Admiral Harold W. "Hal" Gehman Jr., and other board members will hear from individuals who have been asked to appear before the board. Experts in reentry debris, aerodynamics and thermodynamics... More March 5, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Names New Members Columbia Accident Investigation Board Chairman Adm. Hal Gehman has asked National Aeronautics and Space Administration Administrator Sean O’Keefe to appoint three new members... More March 1, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Public Hearing The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) will hold a public hearing on Thursday, March 6 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST... More March 1, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Press Briefing The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) will hold a press briefing on Tuesday, March 4 at 1 p.m. CST... More March 1, 2003: Correspondence Between CAIB Chairman & NASA Administrator February 24, 2003: Diverse Team of Experts Supports Independent Shuttle Accident Probe The Columbia Accident Investigation Board is drawing together some of the nation’s most experienced investigators... More February 20, 2003: Advanced Sightings Team Brings Together Many Data Sources The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) Advanced Sightings Team is working to pinpoint the location of hardware that may have separated from... More February 18, 2003: Board Opens Washington Office, Names Assistant for Government Relations Adm. Harold Gehman, chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, today announced the opening of the Board's Washington, D.C., office... More February 15, 2003: Columbia Accident Investigation Board Chairman Names New Member Adm. Hal Gehman, chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, today announced the appointment of Dr. Sheila E. Widnall of MIT as the newest... More February 13, 2003: Thermal Analysis Shows Hot Plasma Possible in Columbia Left Wheel Well Area Preliminary analysis by a NASA working group this week indicates that the temperature indications seen in Columbia's left wheel well during entry would... More February 4, 2003: Space Shuttle Accident Investigation Board Chair Tours Recovery Area The following is a statement from retired Admiral Harold W. Gehman, Jr., who chairs the independent Space Shuttle Accident Investigation Board... More Back to News