A.7 LIST OF PUBLIC HEARINGS

¶The Board held public hearings to listen to and question expert witnesses. A list of these hearings, and the participating witnesses, follows; transcripts of the hearings are available in Appendix G. March 6, 2003 Houston, Texas Review of NASAʼs Organizational Structure and Recent Space Shuttle History Lt. Gen. Jefferson D. Howell, Jr., Director, NASA Johnson Space Center Mr. Ronald D. Dittemore, Manager, Space Shuttle Program Mr. Keith Y. Chong, Engineer, Boeing Corporation Dr. Harry McDonald, Professor, University of Tennessee March 17, 2003, Houston, Texas Columbia Re-entry Telemetry Data, and Debris Dispersion Timeline Mr. Paul S. Hill, Space Shuttle and International Space Station Flight Director, NASA Johnson Space Center Mr. R. Douglas White, Director for Operations Requirements, Orbiter Element Department, United Space Alliance Prior Orbital Debris Re-entry Data Dr. William H. Ailor, Director, Center for Orbital and Re-entry Debris Studies, The Aerospace Corporation March 18, 2003, Houston, Texas Aero and Thermal Analysis of Columbia Re-entry Data Mr. Jose M. Caram, Aerospace Engineer, Aeroscience and Flight Mechanics Division, NASA Johnson Space Center Mr. Steven G. Labbe, Chief, Applied Aeroscience and Computational Fluid Dynamics Branch, NASA Johnson Space Center Dr. John J. Bertin, Professor of Aerodynamics, United States Air Force Academy Mr. Christopher B. Madden, Deputy Chief, Thermal Design Branch, NASA Johnson Space Center March 25, 2003, Cape Canaveral, Florida Launch Safety Considerations Mr. Roy D. Bridges, Jr., Director, Kennedy Space Center Role of the Kennedy Space Center in the Shuttle Program Mr. William S. Higgins, Chief of Shuttle Processing Safety and Mission Assurance Division, Kennedy Space Center Lt. Gen. Aloysius G. Casey, U.S. Air Force (Retired) March 26, 2003, Cape Canaveral, Florida Debris Collection, Layout, and Analysis, including Forensic Metallurgy Mr. Michael U. Rudolphi, Deputy Director, Stennis Space Center Mr. Steven J. Altemus, Shuttle Test Director, Kennedy Space Center Dr. Gregory T. A. Kovacs, Associate Professor of Electronics, Stanford University Mr. G. Mark Tanner, Vice President and Senior Consulting Engineer, Mechanical & Materials Engineering April 7, 2003, Houston, Texas Post-Flight Analysis, Flight Rules, and the Dynamics of Shedding Foam from the External Tank Col. James D. Halsell, Jr., U.S. Air Force, NASA Astronaut, NASA Johnson Space Center Mr. Robert E. Castle, Jr., Chief Engineer, Mission Operations Directorate, NASA Johnson Space Center Mr. J. Scott Sparks, Department Lead, External Tank Issues, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Mr. Lee D. Foster, Technical Staff, Vehicle and Systems Development Department, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

¶April 8, 2003, Houston, Texas

¶Shuttle Safety Concerns, Upgrade Issues, and Debris Strikes on the Orbiter

¶Mr. Richard D. Blomberg, Former Chairman, NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel Mr. Daniel R. Bell, Thermal Protection System Sub-System Manager for the Boeing Company at Kennedy Space Center Mr. Gary W. Grant, Systems Engineer in the Thermal Management Group for the Boeing Company at Kennedy Space Center

¶April 23, 2003, Houston, Texas

¶Tradeoffs Made During the Shuttleʼs Initial Design and Development Period

¶Dr. Milton A. Silveira, Technical Advisor to the Program Director, Missile Defense Agency, Office of the Secretary of Defense Mr. George W. Jeffs, Retired President of Aerospace and Energy Operations, Rockwell International Corporation Prof. Aaron Cohen, Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering, Texas A&M University Mr. Owen G. Morris, Founder, CEO, and Chairman of Eagle Aerospace, Inc. Mr. Robert F. Thompson, former Vice President of the Space Station Program for McDonnell Douglas

¶Managing Aging Aircraft

¶Dr. Jean R. Gebman, Senior Engineer, RAND Corporation Mr. Robert P. Ernst, Head of the Aging Aircraft Program, Naval Air Systems Command

¶Risk Assessment and Management in Complex Organizations

¶Dr. Diane Vaughan, Professor, Department of Sociology at Boston College

¶May 6, 2003, Houston, Texas

¶MADS Timeline Update, Ascent Video

¶Dr. Gregory J. Byrne, Assistant Manager, Human Exploration Science, Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science Office at the Johnson Space Center Mr. Steven Rickman, Chief of the Thermal Design Branch, Johnson Space Center, NASA Dr. Brian M. Kent, Air Force Research Laboratory Research Fellow David W. Whittle, Chairman of the Systems Safety Review Panel and Chairman of the Mishap Investigation Team in the Shuttle Program Office

¶June 12, 2003, Washington, DC

¶NASA Budgetary History and Shuttle Program Management

¶Mr. Allen Li, Director, Acquisition and Sourcing Management, General Accounting Office Ms. Marcia S. Smith, Specialist in Aerospace and Telecommunications Policy, Congressional Research Service Mr. Russell D. Turner, Former President and CEO, United Space Alliance Mr. A. Thomas Young, Retired Aerospace Executive

ENDNOTES FOR APPENDIX A

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APPENDIX B

Board Member Biographies

ADMIRAL HAROLD W. GEHMAN JR. (RETIRED)

¶Chairman, Columbia Accident Investigation Board. Formerly Co-Chairman of the Department of Defense review of the attack on the U.S.S. Cole. Before retiring, Gehman served as the NATO Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic, Commander in Chief of the U.S. Joint Forces Command, and Vice Chief of Naval Operations for the U.S. Navy. Gehman earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Penn State University and is a retired four star Admiral.

MAJOR GENERAL JOHN L. BARRY

¶Executive Director for the Columbia Accident Investigation. Director, Plans and Programs, Headquarters Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. An honors graduate of the Air Force Academy with an MPA from Oklahoma University, Barry has an extensive background as a fighter pilot and Air Force commander: Squadron, Group and two Wings. A trained accident investigator, Barry has presided or served on numerous aircraft mishap boards. He was a White House Fellow at NASA during the Challenger mishap and was the White House liaison for NASA, served as the Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense during Desert Storm and was the director of Strategic Planning for the U.S. Air Force.

BRIGADIER GENERAL DUANE W. DEAL

¶Commander, 21st Space Wing, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. Currently in his eighth commander position in the U.S. Air Force, Deal has served on or presided over 12 investigations of space launch and aircraft incidents. Formerly a Research Fellow with the RAND Corporation and Fellow of the Harvard Center for International Affairs, he has flown seven aircraft types as an Air Force pilot, including the SR-71 Blackbird, and served as a crew commander in two space systems. Deal holds a B.S. in Physics and a M.S. in Counseling Psychology from Mississippi State University, as well as a M.S. in Systems Management from the University of Southern California.

240

¶JAMES N. HALLOCK , PH.D. Manager, Aviation Safety Division, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Massachusetts. He has worked in the Apollo Optics Group of the MIT Instrumentation Lab and was a physicist at the NASA Electronics Research Center, where he developed a spacecraft attitude determining system. He joined the DOT Transportation Systems Center (now the Volpe Center) in 1970. Hallock received B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He is an expert in aircraft wake vortex behavior and has conducted safety analyses on air traffic control procedures, aircraft certification, and separation standards, as well as developed aviation-information and decision-support systems.

MAJOR GENERAL KENNETH W. HESS

¶Commander, Air Force Safety Center, Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, and Chief of Safety, United States Air Force, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Washington, D.C. Hess entered the Air Force in 1969 and has flown operationally in seven aircraft types. He has commanded three Air Force wings – the 47th Flying Training Wing, 374th Airlift Wing, and 319th Air Refueling Wing – and commanded the U.S. 3rd Air Force, RAF Mildenhall, England. Hess also has extensive staff experience at the Joint Staff and U.S. Pacific Command. He holds a B.B.A. from Texas A&M University and a M.S. in Human Relations and Management from Webster College.