On February 3, Judicial Watch filed Freedom of Information Act requests concerning the safety of the shuttle program.

Evidence suggests that NASA officials and other key government leaders knew or should have known that the program was inherently unsafe. In fact, Don Nelson, a retired NASA engineer, reportedly wrote to The White House last year expressing concerns about the safety of the program and warned the President of a "catastrophic space shuttle accident." Nelson also maintains that he was "reprimanded" for raising safety concerns within NASA.

According to the New York Times, a panel of NASA experts warned last year that safety problems existed within the space shuttle program. NASA promptly removed five of the nine experts and two of their consultants, in an apparent effort to suppress their criticisms.

Finally, a preliminary investigation suggests that excessive shedding of external tank insulation upon liftoff caused damage to the shuttle and is a prime suspect in its disintegration upon reentry.

According to a NASA report, in 1996 a switch was made to a new method of "foaming" the external tank in order to use materials and parts considered to be more "environmentally friendly." It is possible these less effective materials could have contributed to the damage sustained by Columbia during the launch.

JW is also currently following leads that suggest that undue political influence by major NASA contractors, such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin, resulted in government officials "looking the other way."

"America and the world have lost seven magnificent heroes," said JW President Tom Fitton. "Judicial Watch will get to the truth in this tragedy to help make sure it never happens again."