Changing the Culture of Human Spaceflight: How We Returned the Space Shuttle to Flight after Columbia - Wayne Hale

The loss of the Space shuttle Colombia was a shock to the nation but especially to the leadership of NASA who believed that they were providing strong protection against just such an event. The Columbia Accident Investigation Board went beyond the technical causes of the accident to the cultural history and human factors which lead to catastrophe. After Colombia, Wayne Hale was appointed to leadership in the Space Shuttle program with the instructions to not merely correct the technical problems but also address the management culture. Hale has briefly described the history and management culture at NASA prior to Colombia and then delve into the changes - both technical and human - that were made as the space shuttle was returned to flight. These changes affect NASA today as it gears up for the next phase of deep space exploration.