A local sheriff in Texas has reported some of the shuttle debris recovered is radioactive. So far there has been no confirmation or denial from NASA. One science writer claims an experimental night vision multi-spectral telescope that was powered by a new isotope used in nuclear power named Americium –242 was used in the Columbia’s orbiting around the earth to evaluate vapors in Iraq evidencing night-time disposal of chemical weapons material.
The panel has a momentous task to sort everything out and didn’t really need the unnecessary controversies it has brought on itself (or been visited on it by O’Keefe’s appointments).
For starters, a NASA spokesperson said O’Keefe appointed the panel the day after the Columbia crash. However, O’Keefe later told the press that the panel was in place before the Columbia tragedy as part of a contingency plan following the Challenger disaster.
Two appointments made over the weekend have stirred the pot. The first, Sheila E. Widnall, a MIT professor seemed innocuous enough although she is also a former Air Force Secretary in the Clinton administration. We now find that she also was a paid consultant to the Boeing Corporation. Boeing and its joint venture partner Lockheed Martin in United Space Alliance manage both the space station and shuttle programs. The joint venture is shielded from liability in the tragedy as NASA has indemnified it.
The panel has a momentous task to sort everything out and didn’t really need the unnecessary controversies it has brought on itself (or been visited on it by O’Keefe’s appointments).
For starters, a NASA spokesperson said O’Keefe appointed the panel the day after the Columbia crash. However, O’Keefe later told the press that the panel was in place before the Columbia tragedy as part of a contingency plan following the Challenger disaster.
Two appointments made over the weekend have stirred the pot. The first, Sheila E. Widnall, a MIT professor seemed innocuous enough although she is also a former Air Force Secretary in the Clinton administration. We now find that she also was a paid consultant to the Boeing Corporation. Boeing and its joint venture partner Lockheed Martin in United Space Alliance manage both the space station and shuttle programs. The joint venture is shielded from liability in the tragedy as NASA has indemnified it.