The Columbia launch incident occurred due to a process failure

The insulating foam on the external fuel tank of the Columbia spacecraft, a piece of which fell off during takeoff and, according to experts, could hit the shuttle's wing and cause a disaster that claimed the lives of seven astronauts, did not meet NASA standards, RIA Novosti reports. The Miami Herald reported on Monday, citing a letter from former engineer John Ehlers written Feb. 4, three days after the tragedy, to executives at Lockheed Martin, an external fuel tank manufacturer.

According to him, the insulating foam, put on this particular fuel tank two years before the disaster, did not meet the standards, because it hardened too long.

According to the engineer's letter, the material supplier did some extra work on the foam to speed up the curing process. However, according to Ehlers, this work could not be enough and the remaining unresolved problem could lead to an incident during takeoff.

However, the newspaper notes, John Ehlers said that he was not directly involved in this problem and learned about it by accident from the quality controller Bruce Wright (Bruce Wright). In an interview with the Miami Herald, now-retired Bruce Wright said a similar problem did occur and he brought it to the attention of management. These data, according to the newspaper, are being studied by NASA investigators.