·NASA paid 26.6 million U.S. dollars to the families of seven astronauts.
·The space agency recruited former FBI Director William Webster to act as a mediator.
·The money came from the agency's budget via a 2004 Congressional appropriation.

NASA paid 26.6 million U.S. dollars to the families of seven astronauts who died aboard the space shuttle Columbia in a secret settlement, which was covered for more than two years, according to media reports Monday.

The space agency recruited former FBI Director William Webster, also a former federal judge, to act as a mediator and adviser in negotiating the out-of-court settlements, said documents released to the Orlando Sentinel through a federal Freedom of Information Act request.

"The members of the (survivors') families wanted this to be a private matter," said Webster. "They were healing, and they were ready to discuss, properly, their rights. Everyone felt it had a better chance of coming together without seeing their name in lights," he added.

In brief written responses to Sentinel questions, NASA spokesman Allard Beutel said little about the settlements, citing family privacy. He said the money came from the agency's budget via a 2004 Congressional appropriation.

The documents were released to the Sentinel last month after a reporter filed requests in 2005 and 2006. Stephen L. Mcconnell, NASA's principal FOIA officer, insisted the agency was not trying to delay the records release.

NASA was criticized for not disclosing this settlement earlier.

"It's not NASA's money. It's public money," said Steven Aftergood, of the Project on Government Secrecy at the Federation of American Scientists.

Columbia's astronauts died Feb. 1, 2003, when the shuttle broke up on re-entry. An investigation determined chunks of insulation damaged Columbia's left wing, causing the accident.

Officials at the U.S. space agency NASA announced on Feb.1, 2003 that the space shuttle Columbia was destroyed and it did not appear there are any survivors. Six Americans and the first Israeli astronaut were on board the space shuttle.

Columbia disintegrated in flames over Texas at about 9 a.m. (1400 GMT), when it was traveling at an altitude of about 200,000 feet (60,000 meters) and at six times the speed of sound. It had been scheduled to land at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida at 9:16 EST (1416 GMT) after a 16-day mission. Debris had been found across Texas and apparently some other states.

(Agencies)

They didn't have work cover or work insurance? Each family received around 3.8 million, its hard to put a figure on whats right when tragic events occur. Good Luck to their families!