Posted: Thu, Jul 17, 2003, 10:53 AM ET (1453 GMT)
NASA is planning major changes to its shuttle flight rules to add "rigor" and "discipline" to how the agency manages shuttle flights, Florida Today reported Wednesday. The new rules, currently in draft form, would compel members of the Mission Management Team (MMT) to meet on a daily basis in person while the shuttle is in orbit. A lack of meetings by the MMT — only five were held during the 16-day STS-107 mission — has been cited as one of the management lapses that directly on indirectly contributed to the accident. The new rules would also create a mechanism for holding emergency meetings, having structured agendas for the meetings, and for polling managers at the end of each meeting regarding whether the shuttle should continue. The new rules would also create a way for NASA to ask for help from outside agencies, such as asking the Defense Department to use spy satellites or ground telescopes to take images of the shuttle to look for damage. A final decision on the new rules is expected by August.

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•  Florida Today article