Posted: Sun, Apr 15, 2007, 12:21 PM ET (1621 GMT)
NASA gave $26.6 million to the families of the astronauts killed on the STS-107 shuttle mission in 2003, the Orlando Sentinel reported Sunday. The settlement, made in 2004 but not revealed by the space agency until it released documents associated with the deal under a Freedom of Information Act request, was reached between NASA and the families through a mediation process led by former FBI director William Webster. The settlement was made to avoid lawsuits, and the settlement was not announced by NASA to protect the families' privacy, according to a NASA spokesperson. Few other details about the settlement were included in the documents obtained by the newspaper.

Related Links:

•  Orlando Sentinel article
•  AP article