spacetoday.net: O'Keefe: shuttle flights could resume this year

Posted: Wed, Apr 9, 2003, 11:21 PM ET (0321 GMT)
Sean O'Keefe (White House)

NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe said Tuesday that he believes the space shuttle could return to flight by the end of this year. O'Keefe, speaking at a hearing of a subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, said that his "fondest expectation" is that shuttle flights will resume by the fall, barring any "showstoppers on the hardware end." NASA officials had previously said that they are making preparations to have the shuttle ready to return to flight by the fall, but have yet to set any specific date. That will depend on the conclusions reached by the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, which will publish its final report by June, and what additional work will be required to carry out the board's recommendations. A NASA schedule of future shuttle flights, published by SpaceRef.com, shows that NASA has scheduled the first post-Columbia shuttle mission, STS-114, for not earlier than October 1 of this year.