NASA Names Mishap Board for Taurus XL Launch Failure Investigation

WASHINGTON, March 9, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- NASA has selected the members of the board that will investigate the unsuccessful March 4 launch of the Glory spacecraft. Bradley C. Flick, director of the Research and Engineering Directorate at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif., will lead the mishap investigation board.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO)

Flick is responsible for the technical and administrative management of the directorate's engineering workforce at Dryden. He also has served as Dryden's chief engineer and was responsible for providing independent technical guidance and oversight to flight projects.

The board has six other voting members:

--  LeRoy E. Cain, deputy manager, Space Shuttle Program, NASA's Johnson
        Space Center, Houston
    --  Daniel Dorney, supervisory aerospace engineer, NASA's Marshall Space
        Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
    --  Todd Hinkel, lead, Johnson Space Center Pyrotechnics Group Stacey
        Nakamura, chair, Johnson Space Center Safety and Engineering Review
        Panel
    --  Air Force Capt. Benjamin Califf, deputy chief, Space Launch Section,
        Kirtland Air Force Base, Albuquerque, N.M.
    --  Barbara Kanki, research psychologist, NASA's Ames Research Center,
        Moffett Field, Calif.

The ex-officio member is Christopher Nagy, safety and mission assurance manager at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The ex-officio member assures board activity conforms to NASA procedural requirements.

The board began its investigation Wednesday. Members will gather information, analyze the facts, identify the failure's cause or causes and identify contributing factors. The board will make recommendations to the NASA administrator to prevent similar incidents.

The Glory spacecraft failed to reach orbit after liftoff aboard a Taurus XL rocket on March 4 at 5:09 a.m. EST from Vandenberg Air Force Base in southern California.

For more information about the Glory Taurus XL launch and investigation, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/glory

Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20081007/38461LOGO
PRN Photo Desk [e-mail]

NASA

CONTACT: Steve Cole of Headquarters, Washington, [phone],
[e-mail]

Web site: http://www.nasa.gov/