Program managers for ISS EarthKAM asserted their full confidence in the continued support and success of the program on Feb. 12 as a response to a Feb. 10 article in the UCSD Guardian that identified an apparent threat to their program

David Galvan, a member of the student management team for ISS EarthKAM, told the Guardian that they saw no reason to think that the Columbian incident will adversely impact the project. He predicts that NASA will continue to support the International Space Station and that the Web-based program at UCSD will be fine.

The three U.S. astronauts currently on the ISS will remain aboard until at least June 2003, with their return to Earth possibly delayed for six months more. This situation has made possible an additional mission window for ISS EarthKAM and may provide more while NASA seeks to make the best use of its extra time in space.

Even in the event that NASA recovers its astronauts and freezes future shuttle missions, Russian spacecraft may carry U.S. astronauts to the ISS or NASA may ask Russian cosmonauts to operate its scientific instruments aboard the ISS.

Whatever NASA decides, program managers say they are confident that their near-term future is secure.