Normalisation of deviance is surely one of the most fundamental reasons we have a Regulator, EASA should be aware of any 'creep' of inspection standards in Airline Maintenance and stop it from happening, not sure if the FAA had anything to do with the space shuttle but I suspect they didn't, they probably left most of the technical stuff to NASA who got it wrong with the O rings and anyway the feds are too busy with the Airline boys.
What worries me is if the outcome of this investigation is 'Normalisation of Deviance' then what happens next? What will EASA and the CAA do about it? Our national flag carrier oh dear.........................don't hold your breath!