Space: March 14, 2000

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An independent report commissioned by NASA says that staff cutbacks and other changes over the last few years had caused the staff to pay less attention to their work due to poor morale. The study recommended 10 long-term, 30 mid-term, 37 short-term, and 4 urgent changes to the shuttle program. One of the urgent recommendations, which the panel felt should be made before the next shuttle flight, was to make all wiring accessible to a visual inspection. Currently, about 20% of the wiring on a shuttle cannot be seen directly.--Stephen V Cole