The concept of safety culture received a blast of publicity on August 26 when the board investigating the Columbia space shuttle catastrophe issued its final report. It ripped the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's "broken safety culture" as being as much to blame as the infamous chunk of insulation foam for the accident that killed all seven of the shuttle's astronauts.
The Columbia Accident Investigation Board included in its 29 recommendations fundamental changes in NASA's way of doing business.