Nasa's Woes Get Worse

A widow's suit and another delay jolt the shaky space agency

For months Jane Smith had refused public comment on how she felt about the mistakes that led to the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, which killed her husband, Navy Commander Michael Smith, and six other astronauts. Only after release of the harsh conclusions of the Rogers commission did she criticize the "incredibly terrible judgments, shockingly sparse concern for human life . . . and some very bewildering thought processes" by NASA officials. Last week her feelings became even clearer. It was learned that she had filed a suit seeking $15.1 million from the space agency, specifically naming Lawrence Mulloy, who was then...

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