Report: Astronauts Flew Drunk On at Least Two Occasions

July 27, 2007 — -- A report to NASA released today cites two cases "where astronauts had been so intoxicated prior to flight that flight surgeons and/or fellow astronauts raised concerns to local on-scene leadership regarding flight safety. However, the individuals were still permitted to fly."

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The report, prepared at NASA's request by an outside panel of doctors, engineers and present and former astronauts, does not name the astronauts or specify on what flights they flew.

After the report, NASA said today at a news conference that it would develop a written code of conduct, take anonymous surveys to improve communication and conduct an internal safety review.

"The members of our astronaut corps, civilian and military, represent a group of America's most extraordinary and talented individuals, by any standard," said Shana Dale, NASA's deputy administrator. "For almost the entire history of the astronaut corps, our experience has been that NASA's astronauts conduct themselves with integrity, professionalism and a desire to bring honor to America and our nation's space program."

Dale emphasized that the report was based on anonymous allegations and anecdotal evidence and that any specific information obtained by the committee would be subject to rules of medical record privacy.

"We did not get into specific information," said Col. Richard Bachmann, dean of the Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine, who chaired the panel."The issue of concern is that the medical advisors or peers, who should have felt empowered to raise concerns, were not."

Dale said NASA would follow the panel's recommendation that rules be made more clear, and people encouraged to speak up when they're worried about safety. But she added, "Chenages in culture do not happen overnight. It's a process."

'Barroom Chat'?

A source at the agency, who asked not to be identified, said much of the information in the report is based on anonymous interviews with astronauts and other NASA personnel, many of whom passed on hearsay information.

"The findings are unsubstantiated," the source said, calling some of them "barroom chat that's been turned into an official report."

The report does not specify whether the drinking was before space shuttle flights, Russian Soyuz flights or even flights routinely made by astronauts in T-38 training jets.

Three current astronauts, however, told ABC News they were briefed about the report a week ago and say the two cases of intoxication mentioned in it involve space launches.

The report said, "Interviews with both flight surgeons and astronauts identified some episodes of heavy use of alcohol by astronauts in the immediate preflight period, which has led to flight safety concerns. Alcohol is freely used in crew quarters."

The report says NASA does not have procedures to detect episodes involving alcohol and needs "to foster a culture that holds individuals and supervisors accountable for safe and responsible use of alcohol."

At the Controls

The report to NASA does not say what roles were played by the two astronauts who were allegedly intoxicated before flight.

On a typical seven-member shuttle crew, there are only three astronauts — the commander, pilot and a flight engineer in a seat behind them — who actively work or monitor the controls during liftoff and landing. The others, known as mission specialists, are essentially passengers until the shuttle reaches orbit.

But all crew members are trained to act quickly in case a shuttle gets into trouble during launch. The orange pressure suits they wear are meant to allow them to bail out of the hatch of a shuttle and parachute to Earth.

Several former astronauts said they were incredulous at the drinking report.

Walter Cunningham, who flew the first Apollo flight in October 1968, said he would be shocked if the allegations are true.

"It would amaze me. … Astronauts take their jobs very seriously," Cunningham said. "I have known too many astronauts in my life to believe they would be intoxicated while operating a vehicle."

"I never heard of any accounts of anybody on anybody else's flight that people were worried about or any flight surgeon were worried about," said Norm Thagard, whose last shuttle mission was in 1995.

"You're talking about in this story having a flight surgeon ignore the safety of the other astronauts on the crew to let somebody get a pass," said Tom Jones, who flew in 2001. "I don't find that credible."

Former astronaut Alan Bean, who walked on the moon on Apollo 12 in 1969, said he was similarly surprised. "I've never heard anything like that before. I don't believe it."

A second panel was assembled in February after the arrest of astronaut Lisa M. Nowak, who is accused of attacking a woman with pepper spray in a parking lot at the Orlando airport.

Nowak allegedly saw the other woman as a rival for the affection of a fellow astronaut William Oefelein. Both Nowak and Oefelein, Navy officers before they joined the astronaut corps, have now left NASA and returned to duty for the Navy.

Nowak pleaded not guilty to charges of attempted kidnapping, battery and burglary with assault.

The second panel, based at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, was asked to look at astronauts' psychological health and addressed Nowak's frame of mind prior to the alleged crimes.

"There were no indications that something could have predicted the events that occurred or that anything should have been done to change them," the panel wrote. "Some employees mentioned that Nowak could sometimes be demanding and difficult to work with, however, she was viewed as being extremely capably competent and hardworking."

NASA managers said in February that after Nowak's arrest, they were concerned that, while astronauts go thorough psychological screening before selection, they have only routine mental health services available to them afterward.