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Space industry holding up after 'Columbia' tragedy
February 19, 2003 TALLAHASSEE -- It's too early to tell if the space shuttle Columbia mishap will have a negative impact on the state's $4.8-billion space technology industry, lawmakers learned Tuesday. Ed Gormel, executive director of the Florida Space Authority, told members of the Senate Military and Veterans' Affairs, Base Protection and Spaceports Committee that he hadn't seen any negative impact so far on the industry in Florida as a result of the Feb. 1 disaster. The shuttle was minutes away from a Florida touchdown when it broke up. All seven astronauts aboard were killed. Gormel, whose agency promotes industry in Florida that supports the space program, told lawmakers that the disaster's long-term effect on the shuttle program depends on what is ultimately learned to have happened to the Columbia. Gormel noted that there are other types of space flight supported by the Kennedy Space Center besides the shuttle program, as well as ongoing support of the international space station, but said that if NASA does decide to reduce its commitment to the shuttle program, clearly some of the Florida contractors on the program "could be in a tough fix." Sam Durrance, a former Columbia astronaut who is now executive director of the state space organization, the Florida Space Research Institute, told the panel that the space economy in Florida is more diverse and resilient now than in 1986 when the space shuttle Challenger exploded.
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From the Times Business report
From the AP
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