Nation in brief

Fix-it plan urged for shuttles in orbit

The board investigating the Columbia accident strongly urged NASA on Friday to develop a system to enable astronauts to inspect and repair "the widest practicable range" of damage to shuttles while orbiting.

The board didn't specify what changes should be made, but NASA officials and engineers already are considering a variety of steps to make it more likely that any damage to future flights will be spotted and fixed before it's too late. Those include eliminating night launches, adding space walks to hunt for structural problems, greatly extending the reach of a robotic arm attached to a television camera to inspect the exterior of the shuttles and adding a repair kit.

NASA officials said recently that it may be easier in the future to detect damage to a shuttle, such as a breached wing that led to the Columbia's demise, because most scheduled flights will be to the international space station. Using the station as a platform, astronauts will be better positioned and equipped to inspect for damage and make repairs, the officials said.

But the board cautioned that it would be risky to count on the shuttle reaching the space station, and members recommended that NASA greatly enhance its in-orbit detection and repair capability as well as improving the capability aboard the space station.

Friday's pronouncement was the third set of preliminary recommendations the board has issued in six months of investigation into the Columbia accident, which took the lives of seven astronauts and grounded the shuttle fleet. A final report is due in late July. The board previously recommended that NASA take steps to eliminate large foam strikes during liftoff, develop a more sophisticated test to detect flaws in the aging reinforced carbon heat shielding on the orbiter's leading edge and arrange for routine satellite imagery to look for problems.

WASHINGTON - Donated organs may no longer be given to patients who aren't on a computer list of matches, the nation's transplant network said Friday, ending a long-standing informal practice after the death of a 17-year-old girl who received organs with the wrong blood type.

The change came after an investigation into the case of Jesica Santillan, who died in February after a botched heart-lung transplant.

The United Network for Organ Sharing concluded that none of the organizations involved in her transplant violated the network's policies. The policies require that blood types be confirmed before transplants but do not specify who is responsible for checking.

The network agreed Friday to a set of tougher, more detailed policies that would make clear who is responsible for double-checking that blood types match. Its new rules require that blood type be verified by at least four different staff members, two at the organ recovery agency and two at the transplant hospital. Also, transplant programs must check blood type when the organ arrives and compare it directly to the potential recipient's blood type.

WILDFIRE ARRESTS: Three teenagers who authorities say were apparently playing with fireworks were charged Friday with starting one of two wildfires that burned along the Rio Grande north of downtown Albuquerque, N.M., and drove hundreds of people from their homes. Ricky Navarette, 16, Fernando Anaya, 13, and Steven Sedillo, 13, all of Albuquerque, were booked on arson and related charges. An Arizona wildfire that devastated a mountaintop hamlet a week is still being investigated.

NEW BUDGET CHIEF: The Senate confirmed Joshua Bolten as budget director Thursday. Bolten, 48, has been Bush's deputy chief of staff. As director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, he will be an administration point man on spending legislation, oversee the management of the government's huge bureaucracy and be largely responsible for developing the 2005 budget Bush will send to Congress next year.

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