The Day After Tragedy Hit
The post made yesterday was the news according to the post NASA made to their main webpage yesterday afternoon. It sums up basically everything that was known about the situation at the time and pretty much everything that is known now. I wanted to come back today and make some more comments about this horrible tragedy and expand upon the events of yesterday. (prepare yourself for a rather lengthy post)
But first, let me step back a bit. I would venture to say that President Bush has probably had the most "jam-packed" presidency with crucial, serious, and tragic events of any president in the history of the United States. It seems that just when the President and the US has dealt with one situation, another one just all of a sudden appears…. from the 9/11 attacks, to the dealings with Korea, and now the loss of 7 lives in the destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia, and everything in between. But this in particular has struck a personal note (as did the 9/11 attacks… but this almost to a greater degree).
For my whole life, or at least what I can remember, I have wanted to become an astronaut. Not just any astronaut, but I wanted to be the Shuttle Commander. As a middle school and younger high school student, I paid my way to go to the Space Camp Programs in Florida and Alabama a total of 4 times and also won a scholarship to Advanced Space Academy an additional time. So in all, I've attended the programs a total of 5 times…. not quite the record, but not far off either. In fact by the 5th time I attended the camps, I was on a pretty much first name basis with much of the staff there in Huntsville, Alabama. Space Camp was the perfect excursion for someone like me. A week-long camp where I could meet other kids from around the country, and sometimes from other parts of the world as well, who were also interested in space. I could learn about the history of the space program, about astronomy, and about the mechanics of space travel; I got to experience simulators and get a taste of the types of training that real astronauts go through… even experience miniature shuttle missions. People at my high school definitely knew about my sort of 'obsession' with space travel… all knew that I wanted to be an astronaut… A lot of people just used that as a way to make fun of me, but I didn't care… I knew what I was passionate about and it didn't matter what other people thought. Other people, especially some of my teachers, still ask me to make sure that I 'get them tickets to see my first launch.' And for any of you who have made that request…. when the time comes, just let me know! J
But the point is, I think that was my motivation… maybe not my obvious motivation, but more subconscious…. all throughout my high school life…. its why I did so well. There's really no other explanation to it. I never saw myself as the 'smartest' kid at school…. not really close at all…. But the difference was that I worked my BUTT off so that I would have the best grades I could get….
Okay, back on the track I was taking…. I definitely was more knowledgable about space travel, the history of manned spaceflight, etc. than any other person I knew…. Gosh you probably could have asked me any silly trivia question about the space program back then, and I would've known the answer. (I'm a little rusty nowadays… so I wouldn't try asking me now… out of practice) But I knew then that space travel was still fragile, a risk…. something that became apparent again to the nation's public after yesterday's travel. Becoming an astronaut, you assume the dangers that come along with it…. Every time you go into space you're practically strapping yourself to a rocket-powered bomb of sorts…. And during reentry… if you don't come back into the atmosphere at just the right time, you'll be missing your "window" and it'd be like running into a brick wall. Also, coming back in at the correct angle affects things as well, because you must deflect the heat generated from friction as you reenter the earth's atmosphere. It's a risk that all astronauts are aware of and are willing to take to make that voyage into space…. not just for themselves (though that is part of it) but also to better the human race through the work they do while in space. That risk involved is also why astronauts spend over 3 years in training for their specific mission. They run through the procedures over and over until its almost second nature… but they don't ever let it become second nature… they don't let the little details by them… even the silly routine checks are done every time following a specific guide for how they should be done and reported… almost like a script for a play.
Anyway, throughout the 42 years of US manned spaceflight, only 3 incidents resulted in the loss of human life. The first of these was Apollo I [January 27, 1967], however it was never meant to launch. Rather Apollo I served as a launch pad test of the Apollo/Saturn launch vehicle being prepared for the first piloted flight. Three astronauts, nonetheless, were on board of the vehicle and were unable to escape the command module once failures began. These three men were: Lt. Col. Virgil I. Grissom (Gus - a veteran of Mercury and Gemini missions), Lt. Col. Edward H. White (the astronaut who performed the first US extravehicular activity during the Gemini program), and Lt. Col. Roger B. Chaffee (an astronaut preparing for his first mission). Adjustments to the command module were made to fix the anomalies so that something like this would not happen again, and provisions were placed in the lunar excusion module as well so that this could not occur there either.
Apollo 13 could have been a deadly catastrophe, but as I mentioned before NASA trains its astronauts, as well as mission control and ground support, so well that they know their mission flawlessly, but I failed to mention that these astronauts and other engineers know their equipment like the 'back of their hand'… and thus with some ingenuity, they were able to solve the problem and get back to earth safely.
Next, the US Space Program spawned into a new generation of spaceflight: the Space Shuttle. Beginning with the first Shuttle flight in 1981, the space program would become more and more a useful tool to learning more about space as well as our own planet. The Space Shuttle Program Began with launch of STS-1. Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on April 12, 1981, at 7 a.m. EST to begin the first shuttle mission, STS-1. The primary mission objectives for STS-1 were to accomplish a safe ascent into orbit, check out all the systems on the space shuttle and to return to Earth for a safe landing. All of these objectives were met successfully. The first crew for the Shuttle Program and for the Space Shuttle Columbia was John W. Young (commander) and Capt. Robert L. Crippen (pilot).
It wasn't until January 28, 1986 that tragedy struck the space program again. STS-51L, Challenger Orbiter… crew of 7: Francis R. Scobee (commander), Michael J. Smith (pilot), Judith A. Resnik, Ellison S. Onizuka, Ronald E. McNair, Gregory B. Jarvis, and Sharon Christa McAuliffe. After several delays and pushbacks of the flight, the Challenger finally was going to get off the launchpad on the chilly morning of January 28, 1986. Delays set in again with the onset of a hardware interface module in the launch processing system failure during liquid hydrogen testing procedures. After fixing this problem, the Shuttle finally was cleared for launch. And only 73 seconds after liftoff, as America looked on as the first teacher was to be sent to space, the Challenger exploded, claiming the crew and vehicle. Shuttle flights halted while investigations of the incident were undergone and while improvements to the systems could be made to prevent another tragedy from happening later on. It took nearly 3 years before another Shuttle would launch again.
Twenty years after Columbia's maiden flight, America's first space shuttle orbiter, Columbia, returned to service just after a year and a half of maintenance and upgrades that have made it better than ever. More than 100 modifications and improvements have been made to Columbia, highlighted by the installation of a new "glass cockpit" that replaced mechanical instruments with 11 full-color, flat-panel displays. The new cockpit is lighter, uses less electricity and sets the stage for the next generation of improvements, a "smart cockpit" under development that will make the cockpit even more user-friendly. Columbia is the second of NASA's four space shuttles to be fitted with the new "glass cockpit." Other improvements included weight reductions that have increased the amount of cargo Columbia can carry to orbit by hundreds of pounds. To save weight, almost 1,000 pounds of unused wire -- left over from equipment and sensors that were used on Columbia for only the first few space shuttle test flights - were removed. Comprehensive inspections of 95 percent of Columbia's more than 200 miles of wire were performed at Palmdale. To prevent such damage from recurring, technicians smoothed rough edges throughout the shuttle and encased wiring in high-traffic work areas in protective tubing. Such inspections and protective measures will be a regular feature of all future shuttle major maintenance. In addition, Columbia's crew cabin floor was strengthened, the heat protection on its wings was enhanced and protection space debris was added to its cooling system, making it a safer spacecraft. While Columbia was in California, technicians scoured the shuttle during months of intensive structural inspections, using the latest technology to check for even minute signs of fatigue, corrosion or broken rivets or welds. (resource for details on upgrades to the Columbia Orbiter was found at
http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/spacenews/releases/2001/01-25.html).
This brings us about up to date…. (if you want to read more on US manned space history… check out
http://www.spaceflight.nasa.gov/history/)
STS 107, what some people considered what had been the "most perfect mission" up until the last 20 minutes. Never has NASA had problems during reentry before yesterday. Here's a segment from the most recent NASA Shuttle Status Report (8 pm EST 2/1/03):
The Space Shuttle Columbia and its seven astronauts were lost today when the vehicle broke up over north central Texas during its reentry from orbit.
Communications were lost with Columbia and its crew at around 8:00 a.m. CST, while the shuttle was traveling about 18 times the speed of sound at an altitude of 207,000 feet. Columbia was 16 minutes from landing at the Kennedy Space Center when flight controllers at Mission Control lost contact with the vehicle. Columbia was returning from a 16-day scientific research mission, its 28th flight, which launched on January 16.
Aboard Columbia were Commander Rick Husband, completing his second flight, Pilot William McCool, wrapping up his first mission, Mission Specialists Dave Brown, also completing his first mission, Kalpana Chawla, on her second flight, Laurel Clark, a first-time space traveler, Payload Commander Mike Anderson, ending his second flight, and Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon of the Israel Space Agency, on his first flight.
Prior to the loss of communications with Columbia, the shuttle's return to Earth appeared perfectly normal. After assessing some wispy fog near the shuttle?s three-mile long landing strip at KSC before dawn, Entry Flight Director Leroy Cain gave approval for the firing of the shuttle's braking rockets to begin its descent from orbit.
Husband and McCool began the deorbit burn to allow Columbia to slip out of orbit at 7:15 a.m. CST. There was no indication of anything abnormal with Columbia's reentry until the last communications between Mission Control and the crew.
At Columbia's intended landing site, NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe and Associate Administrator for Space Flight William Readdy met with the families of the astronauts to offer their condolences, vowed to uncover the cause of the accident and press ahead with the Shuttle program.
"This is indeed a tragic day for the NASA family, for the families of the astronauts who flew on STS-107, and likewise is tragic for the nation," said O'Keefe.
"We have no indication that the mishap was caused by anything or anyone on the ground," O'Keefe added.
In a briefing, Chief Flight Director Milt Heflin said that around 7:53 a.m. CST, just minutes before communications were lost with Columbia, flight controllers detected indications of a loss of hydraulic system temperature measurements associated with Columbia's left wing, followed three minutes later by an increase in temperatures on the left main gear tires and brakes. At 7:58 a.m., flight controllers noted a loss of bondline temperature sensor data in the area of the left wing followed a minute later by a loss of data on tire temperatures and pressures for the left inboard and outboard tires.
After several attempts to try to contact Columbia, Cain declared a contingency, whereby flight controllers began preserving documentation regarding the entry phase of the flight. Recovery forces fanned out from Texas to Louisiana to try to recover debris that will be pertinent to the mishap investigation.
Space Shuttle Program Manager Ron Dittemore said several teams have been organized to gather data for analysis and will report to an external investigation board that was appointed by Administrator O'Keefe. Dittemore added that no specific orbiter debris or crew remains have been positively identified at this time, and that there is no leading theory for the cause of the accident.
Dittemore said the processing of other shuttles at the Kennedy Space Center for future launches has been temporarily halted to enable engineers to review data regarding vehicle processing and to focus attention on capturing all pertinent information involving Columbia's prelaunch preparations.
NASA managers will be meeting on a regular basis to begin reviewing data associated with Columbia's investigation. The next status briefing from the Johnson Space Center is tentatively scheduled from the Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX at 12:00 p.m. CST Sunday. It will be seen on NASA Television with two-way question and answer capability for reporters from NASA centers. …
On the International Space Station, Expedition 6 Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit were informed of the loss of Columbia and its crew shortly after a Russian Progress resupply vehicle undocked from the ISS. Filled with discarded items no longer needed on the ISS, the Progress was commanded to deorbit by Russian flight controllers and reentered the Earth's atmosphere.
A new Progress cargo ship will be launched Sunday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 6:59 a.m. CST (1259 GMT) filled with supplies for the Expedition 6 crew. It is scheduled to dock to the ISS Tuesday morning. ISS program officials say, if necessary, the current resident crew could remain in orbit until late June with the supplies being ferried to the station on the new Progress.
President Bush's Response yesterday to this horrible tragedy, I think was very well put (maybe not so poetically as Reagan, the last president to offer condolences for an incident such as this… after the loss of lives in the Challenger incident)….
My fellow Americans, this day has brought terrible news and great sadness to our
country. At 9 o'clock this morning, Mission Control in Houston lost contact with our
space shuttle Columbia. A short time later, debris was seen falling from the skies above
Texas.
The Columbia's lost. There are no survivors.
Onboard was a crew of seven -- Colonel Rick Husband, Lieutenant Colonel Michael
Anderson, Commander Laurel Clark, Captain David Brown, Commander William McCool,
Dr. Kalpana Chawla, and Ilan Ramon a colonel in the Israeli air force.
These men and women assumed great risk in this service to all humanity. In an age when
space flight has come to seem almost routine, it is easy to overlook the dangers of travel
by rocket and the difficulties of navigating the fierce outer atmosphere of the earth.
These astronauts knew the dangers, and they faced them willingly, knowing they had a
high and noble purpose in life. Because of their courage and daring and idealism, we will
miss them all the more.
All Americans today are thinking, as well, of the families of these men and women who
have been given this sudden shock and grief. You're not alone. Our entire nation grieves
with you. And those you loved will always have the respect and gratitude of this country.
The cause in which they died will continue. Mankind is led into the darkness beyond our
world by the inspiration of discovery and the longing to understand. Our journey into
space will go on.
In the skies today, we saw destruction and tragedy. Yet farther than we can see, there is
comfort and hope.
In the words of the prophet Isaiah, "Lift your eyes and look to the heavens. Who created
all these? He who brings out the starry hosts one by one and calls them each by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing."
The same creator who names the stars also knows the names of the seven souls we mourn
today. The crew of the shuttle Columbia did not return safely to Earth, yet we can pray
that all are safely home.
May God bless the grieving families, and may God continue to bless America.
Another good resource I've found on the Columbia incident is:
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2003/shuttle/.
Well, I think I've about summed up everything for right now. So, to close, Rick Husband, William McCool, Dave Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel Clark, Mike Anderson, and Ilan Ramon of the Israel Space Agency, as well as their families and friends are in our thoughts and prayers.
The US is a strong nation and so is NASA and the rest of the space program. We'll survive. It might be a break before the Space Program resumes to its normal pace, but it will return. And eventually, (hopefully), my name will be added to the list of those who've gone to space (I still need to be the first woman on the moon and one of the first people on Mars!). There's still SO much to be accomplished, it'd be a shame for it to die.
So, America… keep believing in the space program!