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Alvin man indicted over faulty shuttle part
By MARY ALYS CHERRY
An Alvin man, Richard J. Harmon, has been charged with fraud and indicted by a federal grand jury in a case involving a defective space shuttle part.
Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Johnson said Harmon is charged with knowingly providing a damaged part to a NASA contractor, Spacehab, for use on Endeavour, and with making a false statement.
The two-count indictment was returned Wednesday, Nov. 12.
Although the damaged part was discovered by a NASA engineer, had it not been, it could have endangered the lives of the seven astronauts who launched back in March for the International Space Station.
According to the indictment, Harmon, who owns Cornerstone Machining, Inc., in Alvin, was hired by Spacehab to build a part for Endeavour. During its construction, the part was damaged and Harmon attempted to fix it with a weld.
Johnson said he was not alleging that Harmon built the part poorly; “he did not build the part to specifications and he tried to cover that up.”
The part was to be used to secure cargo.
Harmon allegedly delivered the part to Spacehab without reporting the damage and also supplied that company with a certificate, certifying that the part complied with NASA requirements.
“If NASA had not discovered the damage and used the damaged part as planned, it could have cracked open during the flight, allowed cargo to come loose and, possibly, resulted in the loss of the spacecraft and personnel aboard,” the indictment said.
If Harmon is convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Johnson said Harmon is charged with knowingly providing a damaged part to a NASA contractor, Spacehab, for use on Endeavour, and with making a false statement.
The two-count indictment was returned Wednesday, Nov. 12.
Although the damaged part was discovered by a NASA engineer, had it not been, it could have endangered the lives of the seven astronauts who launched back in March for the International Space Station.
According to the indictment, Harmon, who owns Cornerstone Machining, Inc., in Alvin, was hired by Spacehab to build a part for Endeavour. During its construction, the part was damaged and Harmon attempted to fix it with a weld.
Johnson said he was not alleging that Harmon built the part poorly; “he did not build the part to specifications and he tried to cover that up.”
The part was to be used to secure cargo.
Harmon allegedly delivered the part to Spacehab without reporting the damage and also supplied that company with a certificate, certifying that the part complied with NASA requirements.
“If NASA had not discovered the damage and used the damaged part as planned, it could have cracked open during the flight, allowed cargo to come loose and, possibly, resulted in the loss of the spacecraft and personnel aboard,” the indictment said.
If Harmon is convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
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