Having three operational vehicles in the fleet affords the shuttle program great schedule flexibility as we move toward flying safely and completing the international space station.

The Columbia accident made us realize that we had been playing Russian roulette with the shuttle crews -- that we had been very, very fortunate in the past that the foam did not cause critical damage.

My job is to make sure it isn't three.

This transaction marks another important step in our strategy to improve our financial ratios and increase our financial flexibility,

It's not that we're not feeling celebratory, ... The space shuttle isn't flying right now. And we got to figure out how to finish flying the space shuttle in the next four years and to finish building the space station like we promised to.

This is another step in the FAA's phased program to safely restore full access to U.S. airspace,