4/1/2009
NEWS BRIEFS
Metal Worker Pleads Guilty to Fraud on NASA Fastener

A Houston aerospace metal worker faces 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to supplying NASA with a fraudulent fastener for the Space Shuttle Endeavor, the Houston Chronicle reports.

Former Cornerstone Machining Inc. owner Richard J. Harmon, 60, pleaded guilty to a federal felony charge involving a space vehicle part designed to secure cargo to the payload bay of the shuttle during a flight to the International Space Station in March 2008.

A written summary of the crime “stated that Harmon, who had worked in the aerospace industry for decades, subcontracted to build two fasteners for $18,795 each.”

The passive flight releasable attachment mechanism interface plate was reportedly damaged during the manufacturing process. A cutting machine made a gash in the aluminum, which Harmon, a subcontractor to Spacehab Inc., welded over.

The defect resulted in a 40% reduction in strength, creating “too great a risk that it would fail in flight and destroy the space shuttle,” prosecutors alleged.

Officials insist Harmon failed to notify Spacehab and lead contractor Lockheed Martin about the defect, which ultimately led to Lockheed scrapping the part.

Harmon attorney Chip Lewis said his client “would still like to work in the aerospace industry, and the judge said if he applies for jobs he must tell employers in writing about this fraud,” the Chronicle reports.

In addition to prison time, Harmon could face a $250,000 fine.