SHUTTLE COLUMBIA: DISASTER IN THE SKIES YV Introduction Most of us have come to take manned path. As they reassemble the shuttle, Focus space flight for granted. We were they hope to locate any areas where The subject of this hardly aware that there was a shuttle shield failure might have begun. The News in Review module is the mission taking place until we heard the flight data recorder has also been recov- destruction of the terrible news that Columbia and its ered, and it is being studied for any space shuttle crew had been lost on re-entry. The evidence it might provide. Columbia as it re- shuttle burned up in the atmosphere The investigation is also looking at entered Earth’s over Texas, returning to Earth as thou- NASA’s safety procedures. Some atmosphere on sands of pieces of debris. Shuttle flights commentators argue that budget cuts to February 1, 2003. It explores possible had become routine. It was only after the shuttle program have affected safety reasons for the the accident that we came to know the programs, and that too little attention shuttle’s failure and extraordinary individuals who had lost has been paid to potential safety prob- the impact of that their lives in what we could, once again, lems in an ageing fleet of shuttle aircraft. failure on the appreciate as one of the most dangerous Meanwhile, the U.S. manned space future of manned space flight. It also of scientific and exploratory activities. program is on hold, with potentially looks at the quali- The investigation to determine ex- devastating effects for some important ties that lead an actly what went wrong began immedi- international research. The shuttle is the individual to be- ately. Early speculation that failure of only vehicle large enough to carry come an astronaut, part of the heat shield on the left wing many of the necessary construction and the lives of those who died on of the shuttle was responsible for the materials for the International Space Columbia. Finally, it accident has developed into the likeliest Station. The station will continue to be looks at Canada’s theory. However, which part of the staffed by astronauts carried on Russian role in space, both shield and why it failed remains un- Soyuz rockets, but planned expansion its history and plans clear. NASA does know that either will not take place until the shuttle flies for the future. foam or ice from a booster rocket struck again. Canada’s space program is one the shuttle shortly after take-off. Yet of those affected. Most of Canada’s most of its engineers discounted the aerospace industry relies on technology YV Sections potential for damage from this incident. other than the shuttle. However, two marked with this Researchers have collected, and are missions that were to include Canadian symbol indicate content suitable for continuing to find, pieces of the shuttle astronauts have been delayed by the younger viewers. from the ground below its final flight accident. Discussion Some commentators argue that the risks and expense of manned space flight are too great. They believe that our technology is now so sophisti- cated that we can accomplish all our scientific goals in space by sending unmanned probes rather than humans. Do you think there will always be a place for manned space exploration? Has what we have accomplished so far been worth the risks? Explain. CBC News in Review • April 2003 • Page 19 SHUTTLE COLUMBIA: DISASTER IN THE SKIES YV Video Review 1. How many astronauts were lost in the Columbia disaster? The questions on this and the next page should be 2. Why was Ilan Ramon such as hero to Israel? answered as you watch the video. Further Research 3. What were the audible and visible signs to observers on the ground NASA’s (National that something had gone wrong? Aeronautics and Space Agency) official Web site for the Columbia disaster is at www.nasa.gov/ columbia/home/ index.html. An 4. How long had it been since the first shuttle accident, with Challenger? excellent and moving tribute video to Columbia 5. What are the two most dangerous parts of a mission to space? and its crew is available at www.ksc.nasa.gov/ columbia/ memvideo.htm. 6. What caused the 1986 Challenger explosion? 7. Which country had previously lost astronauts during re-entry? 8. What were the first indications to NASA that a problem might be developing on Columbia? 9. What incident at lift-off might have damaged the protective tiles on Columbia’s left wing? CBC News in Review • April 2003 • Page 20 10. Could anything have been done to repair Columbia if damage had Did you know . been identified before re-entry? Why or why not? Columbia was the first shuttle built and had flown 28 missions? The remaining shuttles are named Discov- ery (30 missions), Atlantis (26 mis- sions), and Endeav- our (19 missions). 11. Author Diane Vaughan investigated the Challenger disaster. What does she say that scientists and engineers on test ranges estimated as the probability of failure for a shuttle mission? 12. What does she say was the estimate by top administrators? 13. What reason does scientist John Logsdon give as the main reason why the shuttle safety budget was reduced by a large amount? 14. What two major problems with the shuttle program did NASA’s advi- sory committee identify in its recent report? i) ________________________________________________________________ ii) ________________________________________________________________ 15. How soon might another shuttle be launched? 16. How many shuttles remain in NASA’s fleet? CBC News in Review • April 2003 • Page 21 SHUTTLE COLUMBIA: DISASTER IN THE SKIES YV The Right Stuff Activity In 1979 author Tom Wolfe published a The following is a brief biographical summary of each of the Columbia book about some astronauts who lost their lives at the end of the STS-107 mission. As you of the test pilots read through these summaries, identify those characteristics and accomplish- who took their ments that you feel demonstrate that they had “the right stuff.” List the planes to the most common and most outstanding ones in your notes. Compare your list threshold of space, with those of other class members. and the early U.S. astronauts who ultimately took Mission Commander Rick Hus- him on the mission, Ramon took a part in some of the band, 45 conjectural drawing of the Earth as seen first space flights. This was the second shuttle mission from the moon. It had been made by a Wolfe’s book was for Husband. He became interested in 16-year-old Jewish boy shortly before titled The Right aerospace as early as age four, during his death at Auschwitz, the infamous Stuff. This term has now become part the Mercury missions. He received his Nazi death camp, during the Holocaust. of the language to pilot’s licence while in high school, Ramon was a real hero to Israelis, who describe the talents joined the Air Force and obtained a deeply mourn his loss. and characteristics master’s degree in engineering. He that are part of had experience flying more than 40 Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla, every astronaut’s types of aircraft and had accumulated 41 makeup. more than 3800 hours of flight time. Chawla was born in Karnal, India. She Husband applied four times before he made her first flight with her father in a was accepted into astronaut training. glider at age 8, and was the first woman After being appointed commander of in the aerospace engineering depart- this mission, he immediately booked ment at Punjab Engineering College. his entire crew on an 11-day survival She graduated at the top of her class. trip as a bonding experience. He was a She moved to the U.S. to obtain her devout Christian, married with two master’s and Ph.D. degrees, and be- children. came a citizen. She first flew in space on a 1997 mission, where she was the Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon, 48 chief robotic arm operator. On this Ramon was a much-decorated Israeli mission she supervised experiments in fighter pilot who had flown a number Earth sciences, physics, and life sci- of dangerous combat missions. He was ences. She remained closely connected a popular choice as Israel’s first astro- to her first school in India, where she naut, even with the hundreds of other was a real hero to many young girls. Israeli Air Force members he beat out for the job. Ramon trained four and a Mission Specialist Laurel Clark, 41 half years for the mission. His job Clark was one of two physicians who consisted mostly of photographing took part in the Columbia mission. She dust from the Sahara Desert blowing helped conduct 80 scientific experi- across the Middle East, part of a study ments. She was responsible for medical on how dust affects rainfall in the area. and biological research, and was espe- Allowed to bring a personal item with cially interested in studying bone CBC News in Review • April 2003 • Page 22 density. She was an accomplished astronomy at the University of Wash- Further Research scuba diver, parachutist, and biker. ington; a member of the ROTC pro- Additional informa- Clark joined the Reserve Officers gram, he accepted an Air Force com- tion about the crew of Columbia shuttle Training Corps (ROTC) to help pay for mission when he graduated. Though mission STS-107 is medical school, then became a naval first a computer specialist, he went on available at NASA’s diving medical officer before training as to flight school and became a pilot.