U.S. Senate

The following are some of the opening statements for some of the various Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearings regarding Columbia.


• February 12, 2003 House Committee on Science Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics and Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation-Joint Hearing on Space Shuttle Columbia. This information was originally located on the House Committee on Science Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics 108th Congress-1st Session Web site and on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Web site.
  • Hearing Charter
  • Hearing Transcript
  • Senator McCain’s Opening Statement
  • Representative Boehlert’s Opening Statement
  • Representative Rohrabacher’s Opening Statement
  • NASA Administrator O’Keefe’s Opening Statement

• April 2, 2003 Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Science, Technology, and Space hearing on NASA: Human Space Flight. This information was originally located on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Web site.
  • Opening Statement of Ms. Smith, Congressional Research Service
  • Opening Statement of Mr. Chase, Executive Director of the National Space Society
  • Opening Statement of Dr. Roland, Professor of History at Duke University

• September 3, 2003 Full Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing on Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) Report on Shuttle Tragedy. This information was originally located on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Web site.
  • Senator McCain’s Opening Statement
  • NASA Administrator O’Keefe’s Opening Statement
  • Admiral Gehman’s Opening Statement
• October 29, 2003 Full Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing on the Future of NASA. This information was originally located on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Web site.
  • NASA Administrator O’Keefe’s Opening Statement
  • Opening Statement of Dr. Huntress, Director of the Geophysical Laboratory at the Carnegie Institute of Washington
  • Opening Statement of Dr. Zubrin, President of the Mars Society
  • Opening Statement of Dr. Woods, Professor, Institute for Ergonomics, Ohio State University
  • Opening Statement of Mr. Tumlinson, President of the Space Frontier Foundation