Columbia Astronaut's Spouse Praises Report

H O U S T O N, Aug. 26, 2003 -- One of Dr. Jonathan Clark's favorite memories of his wife, Laurel, is her smile.

"Every time I saw her, she had a Cheshire cat grin, just from ear to ear," he said.

Laurel Clark was one of seven astronauts who died when the space shuttle Columbia broke up over Texas on Feb. 1. That mission was her first, and her last. But Jon Clark said his wife would have wanted the space program to go on despite the tragedy.

"She really loved space," said Clark. "For her to think her loss would mean the end of all this would be unacceptable, and hence we have to go on."

Clark and the families of the other Columbia astronauts were briefed extensively by members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board on the report released today on the cause of the accident.

The scathing 248-page report said NASA's overconfident management and inattention to safety endangered Columbia as much as the chunk of insulating foam that broke away from the orbiter's fuel tank during liftoff. The piece of foam struck the leading edge of the left wing, creating a breach. When Columbia re-entered the Earth's atmosphere, superheated air penetrated the left wing and melted it from the inside, causing the spacecraft to break up.

Without drastic changes, the investigators said, another disaster is likely.

"The board strongly believes that if these persistent, systemic flaws are not resolved, the scene is set for another accident," the investigators wrote.

They added: "NASA's blind spot is it believes it has a strong safety culture."

Unique Evaluation

Jon Clark has waited for nearly seven months for this report, and applauds its depth. NASA must comply with 29 recommendations before returning space shuttles to flight.

"I was very pleased with its incredible thoroughness, and they really spared no expense to get an answer to get technical answers and organizational influences that led to the demise of Columbia," he said.

Clark is in a unique position. He is a flight surgeon for NASA, and he worked in mission control during his wife's mission.

"I had fairly good insight into the launches and landings. I also knew the risks in the shuttle program," he said. "I was in mission control the week before, I remember reading the reports on it, so I can say I am as guilty as anybody for not standing up and saying, 'Hey, what's going on here?' "

Call for Evolution

Changing the culture of NASA won't be easy: Is it even possible?

Clark says the future of the space agency is dependent on it. "If we don't change, if we don't adopt a strategy of introspection and critical appraisal, then we can't survive with this high-risk technology," he said. "Ask me a year from now, or 10 years from now, I will be able to give you a better answer."

He has packed up most of his wife's belongings, but he keeps many treasured mementoes for their 8-year-old son, Iain.

They remember her in space, laughing at an experiment, and sharing her joy at seeing Earth from space.

On Columbia, Laurel Clark wore her wedding ring on a chain around her neck. Pictures recovered from the shutle show the ring floating in zero gravity.

Jonathan Clark says the ring has not been recovered among the debris from Columbia. He still holds out up hope that it will be found in the piney woods of East Texas.