The Nation : Shuttle Critics Protected

Space shuttle workers with safety concerns can report them confidentially to an independent group under a new NASA policy. The policy applies to about 100,000 National Aeronautics and Space Administration employees and contractor personnel and is a response to the Challenger explosion that killed seven crew members on Jan. 28, 1986. Investigation of the accident showed several engineers had concerns about the performance of the booster rocket joint whose failure caused the shuttle explosion. Workers with concerns will be able to obtain forms anonymously and send them to the Battelle Memorial Institute in Columbus, Ohio.