27 August 2003: Send in your CAIB comments Editor’s note: What do you think about the CAIB’s final report? Did they get it right? Can NASA accomplish all of the CAIB’s recommendations? How should they do this? Send your comments to [email protected]. Your comments will be posted – please note if you wish them to be posted with your name or anonymously. — Your many replies thus far — Excerpt: […]

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Insufficient funding, tight schedules and poor leadership, all problems the Columbia investigative board set contributed to the shuttle disaster. The findings were part of a blunt and hard-hitting report released today.

SAN MIGUEL: Well, it was nearly seven months ago that the space shuttle “Columbia” broke apart as it reentered earth’s atmosphere, killing the seven astronauts on board. On Tuesday, the “Columbia” accident investigation board plans to issue its final report on the cause of the disaster.

Editor’s note: Astronaut Mike Foale left Earth on 18 October 2003 for his stay aboard the International Space Station as part of the Expedition 8 crew. I had the opportunity to ask him about use of the term “expedition” to describe these stays aboard the International Space Station twice – once several months before he left Earth, and recently, as he was in the final days of his stay in space. Transcripts of both conversations appear below.