CHAIRMAN SHERWOOD BOEHLERT (R-NY)

Opening Statement at Joint Hearing on Space Shuttle Columbia

We usually open hearings by talking about what a pleasure it is to be here. But of course today that 

is not the case. I'm reminded of what Lyndon Johnson said when he appeared before Congress after 

the Kennedy assassination: "All I have, I gladly would have given, not to be standing before you 

today." I'm sure that is the way we all feel, with the tragic loss of the Columbia crew so fresh in our 

minds and in our hearts.

But we owe it to those astronauts and their families, and to the American public, to work as hard as 

is humanly possible to determine the cause of the Shuttle's breakup and to rigorously pursue all the 

policy questions the accident brings to a head.

I view this hearing as the start of a very long conversation we will all be having about the Columbia 

incident and its ramifications. I think that it's very appropriate that we start that conversation on a 

bicameral basis, and I want to thank Senator McCain for being so willing to make this a joint 

hearing. The House and the Senate and NASA are going to have to cooperate as we each review the 

accident and the Human Space Flight program, and our joint work today should send a clear signal 

that we can and will do just that.

We will also all be coordinating with the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, headed by 

Admiral Gehman. I've spoken to Admiral Gehman, and I am impressed with the Admiral's 

determination to be independent and deliberate, vowing to be swayed neither by outside pressures 

or artificial deadlines. And I appreciate the swiftness with which Administrator O'Keefe activated 

the Board. 

That said, the more I've read the Board's charter, the more I've become convinced that it must be 

rewritten. The words of the charter simply do not guarantee the independence and latitude that both 

the Administrator and the Admiral have sincerely promised. The charter's words need to match 

everyone's intent now to avoid any problems later. I also continue to believe that several more 

members should be added to the Board to ensure that it has the appropriate breadth of experience 

and expertise.

We will be working closely with the Board as the Science Committee proceeds with its own 

bipartisan investigation, which will focus on the many policy questions raised by the accident. We 

are going to have to raise some tough and basic questions that have gone unanswered for too long:

• What are the true risks of flying the Shuttle, especially if it is going to remain in service for 

another 10 to 15 years?

• What are the true costs of continuing the shuttle program at specific levels of risk? and

• What are the advantages of investing in the Shuttle as compared to investing in other NASA 

programs, other R&D programs, and indeed, other government programs, in general?

But we can't begin to deal with those overarching issues until we have a better sense of what 

happened to the Columbia and why, and it's obviously too soon to expect to know that. No one 

should expect any revelations at today's hearing. We are here today to get a status report.
We all ought to avoid pronouncements today that we may later come to regret. I'm reminded of an 

interview I once read with an executive of the utility that owned Three Mile Island at the time of the 

accident there. He was asked, "What was the worst thing you did in handling the accident?" He 

answered immediately. He said, "We just didn't have the presence of mind to say, 'I don't know.'" I 

would advise Administrator O'Keefe, who has responded magnificently in this time of crisis: don't 

hesitate to say, "I don't know." You're still in search of elusive answers.

Despite the best of intentions, NASA has, at times, already put out misleading information because 

it didn't check the facts. For example, information indicating that environmental rules could have 

contributed to the accident has so far turned out to be entirely spurious. But it's taken NASA a long 

time to clarify its statements. Today is a chance to put facts into the record - facts that will help 

chart NASA's future.

If we are to find the facts and honor the memory of the Columbia crew, we will have to approach 

our task in a true spirit of exploration - with open and probing minds, without preconceived notions 

or foregone conclusions. That should be our goal today. Thank you.