The US space agency is considering making two flights next year after examining progress in modifications being made to the shuttle following the Columbia tragedy in February, space shuttle program manager Bill Parsons said.

Seven astronauts died when the shuttle exploded on reentry into the earth's atmosphere February 1. The tragedy was caused by damage to Columbia's heat shield tiles when a piece of booster rocket insulation broke off on takeoff.

"We are making OV-103 (the Space Shuttle Atlantis) and 0V-104 (the Space Shuttle Discovery) ready for launch," Parsons said in a news conference at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

"All things are working towards two flights in '04 but I can't guarantee that, a lot is going to be based on what we find out from the first flight.

"We are on track for that -- there are a number of areas out there that could create bumps on the road for us. The number of items we are working on is pretty steep as well. But we think we can get there from here."

Parsons said that NASA now had material it plans to use for reparation of shuttle tiles but still has "to figure out a good way to repair them" while in orbit, should the need arise.

SPACE.WIRE