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 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

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¶April 8, 2003, Houston, Texas

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

¶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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