NASA contractors draw scrutiny

NASA took steps to shore up its most glaring weaknesses, ending its downsizing plan and hiring some new staffers to fill the biggest gaps. But not everyone believes the agency has come close to recovering its prior strength, and a GAO report released just three days before the Columbia mishap said the problems were persisting. At first blush, it seems obvious that safety “has got to suffer because they have fewer people,” said Marco Caceres, senior space analyst at the Teal Group, an aerospace research firm. “I’m not sure it’s as simple as that, but in hindsight, with this tragedy, that’s one of the first things you’re going to look at.”