NASA was prompted to order a safety review for SpaceX and Boeing, two agencies hired by them after SpaceX founder Elon Musk was seen smoking Marijuana and sipping whisky on a podcast streamed on the internet. Both the companies are under a contract with NASA to fly their astronauts to space, a mission that has been undertaken for the very first time.
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Operating an orbital laboratory hundreds of miles above Earth’s surface for 20 years is an amazing technological achievement. Happy anniversary, @iss! #SpaceStation20th
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"If I see something that's inappropriate, the key concern to me is what is the culture that led to that inappropriateness and is NASA involved in that. As an agency we're not just leading ourselves, but our contractors as well. We need to show the American public that when we put an astronaut on a rocket, they'll be safe," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in an interview.
While NASA acknowledges the confidence in SpaceX team, it emphasises that work culture and leadership, workplace safety and a drug-free environment are extremely crucial.
"human spaceflight is the core mission of our company. There is nothing more important to SpaceX than this endeavour, and we take seriously the responsibility that NASA has entrusted in us to safely and reliably carry American astronauts to and from the International Space Station," a statement released by SpaceX read.
Ranjini Maitra November 21 2018, 4.50 pm
