Godspeed, Columbia

Kinja'd!!! by "ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
Published 02/01/2017 at 12:35

Tags: wingspan ; planelopnik history ; planelopnik
STARS: 5

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February 1, 2003 – The loss of Space Shuttle Columbia . In an airplane, the most critical parts of any flight are takeoff and landing. These are the times when any mechanical problem with the airplane becomes an immediate problem, and there’s precious little time to do anything about it. Space flight is similar, but when you’re sitting on top of a barely controlled explosion during liftoff, or hurtling through the atmosphere at 18,000 mph on re-entry, any malfunction of your spacecraft will likely be fatal. Space Shuttle Columbia launched on January 16, 2003 on STS-107 , the 113th flight of the Space Shuttle program , with a crew of seven: Shuttle Commander Rick Husband, pilot William McCool, Mission Specialists David Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Michael Anderson, Laurel Clark, and Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon, Israel’s first astronaut. During the launch of previous Shuttles, it was not uncommon for pieces of the foam insulation covering the external fuel tank to break off, sometimes hitting the orbiter, though in all previous launches the foam didn’t cause significant damage to the Shuttle. But when Columbia launched on that January morning, a large piece of insulation broke off the external tank at the point where the bracket holding the Shuttle attaches to the fuel tank. The suitcase-sized chunk of foam struck the left wing of the orbiter, punching a hole in the leading edge of the wing.

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It was not until Columbia was in orbit that a routine review of launch footage revealed the foam strike, but it was impossible to detect the extent of the damage. Shuttle engineers on the ground requested that the Department of Defense provide imagery of the Shuttle in orbit that might have indicated the extent of the damage, but NASA managers blocked those requests. And it was highly risky for the astronauts to assess the damage themselves. On this particular mission, Columbia did not carry the Canadarm remote manipulator arm, and assessing the damage would have required an unplanned spacewalk. And even then, the astronauts would have had to make a patch out of materials at hand, and there’s no procedure for that, and no assurance of success. At the time, NASA took the position that warning the astronauts of the damage would do no good, since there was nothing that could be done about it. If the damage was determined to be catastrophic, there was no way to rescue the astronauts in space. Returning to Earth was the only option, though the investigation following the disaster did find that the Shuttle Atlantis could have been readied for a rescue mission, but even then, there were concerns of risking another crew on an untried mission. After completing its 15-day mission, Columbia and the crew prepared to return to Earth, unaware of the dangers they faced. As the Shuttle passed through the Earth’s atmosphere, the leading edges of the wings reached a temperature of more than 2,800º F as the orbiter reached a speed of Mach 24.1. As superhot atmospheric gases entered the damaged wing the orbiter began to break up. As re-entry continued over Texas and Louisiana, Columbia finally broke up completely. But, even as the Shuttle was coming apart, the investigation found that pilot William McCool was starting up the Auxiliary Power Unit as he tried to manually fly the Shuttle to a safe landing. Pieces of Columbia were found over a large swath of eastern Texas and western Louisiana, as well as body parts of the crew.

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Following the loss of Columbia , Shuttle missions were put on hold for two years, and construction of the International Space Station (ISS) was halted. The foam insulation on the external fuel tank was redesigned, and many of the large pieces that had been prone to breaking off in the past were removed. NASA instituted inspections of the Shuttle once it reached orbit, and a designated rescue mission was made ready in the event that severe damage was found. The final 22 Shuttle missions were flown to the ISS so the crew could wait there for rescue if damage during launch rendered the orbiter unsafe for re-entry. Only one mission was undertaken that didn’t go to the ISS, and that was flown to make repairs on the Hubble Space Telescope .

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If you enjoy these posts, please join in the conversation and let me know. If you missed an episode, you can find them all at Wingspan .

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Replies (10)

Kinja'd!!! "facw" (facw)
02/01/2017 at 12:44, STARS: 1

Nice article on what a rescue mission would have entailed: https://arstechnica.com/science/2016/02/the-audacious-rescue-plan-that-might-have-saved-space-shuttle-columbia/

Kinja'd!!! "whoarder is tellurium" (whoarder)
02/01/2017 at 12:51, STARS: 1

Last known footage from the Columbia crew as they start the re-entry process. Godspeed, Columbia.

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Footage from the control room when NASA loses communication...

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Still gets me every time I watch it too.

Kinja'd!!! "ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
02/01/2017 at 13:01, STARS: 1

I read that a year ago when I originally posted this. It’s a good read.

Kinja'd!!! "RallyWrench" (rndlitebmw)
02/01/2017 at 14:16, STARS: 1

I’m not a religious man, but I’ve always found “Godspeed” to be a uniquely powerful word, good choice. I remember making breakfast and turning on the news that morning, normally I wouldn’t have been able to watch news but it was a weekend so I was home. The footage was just chilling.

Kinja'd!!! "ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
02/01/2017 at 14:26, STARS: 1

I was sleeping in that morning, and my wife woke me up to tell me that it had happened. I still remember it very clearly. I share your sentiments about the term. Perhaps because it goes back so far in time, but also because it’s as much about reveling in the glory of the world while you are making the journey as it is about wishing someone a safe and prosperous journey. GOD doesn’t belong to Christians. It is the same God in all the faiths, and I believe using the term is pan religious, and transcends religion at the same time. As a good friend once said to me, “The biggest thing standing between people and God is religion.”

Kinja'd!!! "jariten1781" (jariten1781)
02/01/2017 at 15:58, STARS: 2

FYI, One of the deciding factors to name the follow-on SSBN the Columbia class was to honor this crew and vessel. If I were writing the christening speech I’d definitely include a line...something like “The valiant crew of STS-107 gave their lives advancing the human race and today we honor them by launching SSBN XXX the USS Columbia which will provide continued deterrence to the major powers and, god-willing, continue the long peace for future generations to allow them the stability to carry on that advance for generations to come.”

Kinja'd!!! "ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
02/01/2017 at 16:10, STARS: 0

Well said.

Kinja'd!!! "PushToStart" (pushtostart)
02/01/2017 at 19:51, STARS: 0

This is one of the most vivid memories I have from my childhood... My mom, dad, and I were watching it on TV and before we realized what was happening my dad took me outside so we could watch it pass over in the distance. I remember seeing all the debris separating from the shuttle and asking my dad what it was, and he didn’t know what it was (very unusual, especially to kid me). We went back inside and found out the details. I remember being really upset because at the time I was obsessed with space, NASA, and the space shuttle, so having that first experience of actually seeing a shuttle in real life turn into a tragedy was pretty crazy.

Kinja'd!!! "ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn)
02/01/2017 at 20:16, STARS: 1

You were also a witness to history. But I can see how it would have shaken you up.

Kinja'd!!! "PushToStart" (pushtostart)
02/01/2017 at 22:03, STARS: 1

Definitely. I only vaguely remember a few things about 9/11, but this stands out much more, I guess just because 1. I was a little older and 2. I saw it in person, right in my own front yard (literally)