Remembering Space Shuttle "Columbia" and Crew

[kkeenan 14]

The Columbia STS-107 mission lifted off on January 16, 2003, for a 17-day science mission featuring numerous microgravity experiments. Upon reentering the atmosphere on February 1, 2003, the Columbia orbiter suffered a catastrophic failure due to a breach that occurred during launch when falling foam from the External Tank struck the Reinforced Carbon Carbon panels on the underside of the left wing. The orbiter and its seven crewmembers (Rick D. Husband, William C. McCool, David Brown, Laurel Blair Salton Clark, Michael P. Anderson, Ilan Ramon, and Kalpana Chawla) were lost approximately 15 minutes before Columbia was scheduled to touch down at Kennedy Space Center. This site presents information about the STS-107 flight, as well as information related to the accident and subsequent investigation by the formal Columbia Accident Investigation Board.
http://history.nasa.gov/columbia/Introduction.html

[BillyVance 34]

It's the end of the worst week in NASA's history. IIRC, one of the Apollo missions ended in a cockpit fire on the launchpad that killed White, Chaffee and Grissom. Don't know the exact date, but I thought it was within the same 7 day period with the Challenger and Columbia disasters...

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[lawrocket 3]

My memories of that morning are sealed in my brain. I had just turned 13 when the Challenger was lost. I remember the events but not like the Columbia. I had just turned 30 and the loss was just so much more real.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[AggieDave 6]

I was driving to SD Houston when Columbia was lost. I saw it burning up through the sky and thought that it had been an aviation accident. Spinning the AM dial I found a news station that filled me in on what happened.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[wayneflorida 0]

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It's the end of the worst week in NASA's history. IIRC, one of the Apollo missions ended in a cockpit fire on the launchpad that killed White, Chaffee and Grissom. Don't know the exact date, but I thought it was within the same 7 day period with the Challenger and Columbia disasters...

-----------------------------------------------------

Apollo 1 launch pad fire 27 Januart 1967. Remember well as I was a high school senior and
there was a lot of excitment about space flight and going to the moon.

The Saturday morning Columbia was to reenter
I got online to see maybe if the track would be over my part of Florida. I was watching NASA live when
data was lost and center could not figure out what
was going on. Sad day.

Our space program is dead.


Sorry about the text and how lines are short and spaces skipped. Looks ok when I type.

[AggieDave 6]

I agree that our once bold and advanced space program is nearly dead. It will be dead with in another 5 years.

We can only hope that the civilian space race continues and advances quickly. Although I doubt we truly have a Zefram Cochrane among us who has the ability to finance his dream.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[Amazon 7]

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The Columbia STS-107 mission lifted off on January 16, 2003, for a 17-day science mission featuring numerous microgravity experiments. Upon reentering the atmosphere on February 1, 2003, the Columbia orbiter suffered a catastrophic failure due to a breach that occurred during launch when falling foam from the External Tank struck the Reinforced Carbon Carbon panels on the underside of the left wing. The orbiter and its seven crewmembers (Rick D. Husband, William C. McCool, David Brown, Laurel Blair Salton Clark, Michael P. Anderson, Ilan Ramon, and Kalpana Chawla) were lost approximately 15 minutes before Columbia was scheduled to touch down at Kennedy Space Center. This site presents information about the STS-107 flight, as well as information related to the accident and subsequent investigation by the formal Columbia Accident Investigation Board.
http://history.nasa.gov/columbia/Introduction.html

All of those who have been lost will be remembered as true pioneers and heros. They are some of our best, who dreamed of takeing us out into space and to reach for the stars.

[johndh1 0]

I was watching a show about the Columbia's last trip the other day, I think on the History Channel. It showed real time at command control as all of it was happening, and to see the look on those people's faces when the realization hit them was very saddening, even after all this time.
I was probably 10, and for some reason home from school watching lift-off when the Challenger exploded. I remember having nightmares about it.

Roll Tide Roll

[JohnMitchell 16]

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Our space program is dead.

Is it dead or just trying to find its direction? As exciting as putting men into space is, the most cost effective science is done by unmanned probes. Pioneer, Voyager, all those could have never been done with human presence aboard. The international space station? I'm not to aware of its purpose other than to employ aerospace engineers (which maybe is not really a bad thing.)

Even during the early days of the space race, we were ahead of our supposed competition, the USSR. They had put men and women in orbit, but more as stunts than scientific research. We had successfully orbited weather tracking satellites, communication satellites, etc. We were approaching controlled manned space flight incrementally, with the rocket plane flights in the X-15. Shooting a ballistic capsule into orbit was not a huge scientific breakthrough, it was a way to simply say "Hey, we did it too."

Am I proud of the moon landings? Hell yes. From a science standpoint, were they cost effective? I don't believe so. Did the space shuttle live up to its promise of being an inexpensive space truck? Not even close. Our return to the capsule mode for manned space flight certainly backs up my stance. Do men and women belong in space? Well, it's an extremely harsh enviroment. Travel to the moon is practical, but to Mars and beyond is a huge commitment of resources, and for what gain? To say we did it? Colonizing the moon? Once again, to what purpose?

I say "yes" to orbital manned presence if we must. But all exploration beyond our lunar orbit, I feel, is best done robotically. Even deep sea exploration is more and more the realm of robots, since the virtual presence is almost the same as being in a sealed bathysphere at 20K feet below the surface. With robots you get simpler machines, more science per pound, and the ability to launch dangerous, one way missions that would never be approved for humans.

I think NASA has done some amazing science since its creation, and the entire human race has benefitted. I think that colonizing the moon and flying men to Mars is a political pipe dream to make people feel good and think we're doing something. I feel we should abandon the Star Trek dreams until someone really invents the warp drive. NASA is American science and technology at its best. I just feel we should rethink our priorities of what we want to do with it.

[Amazon 7]

Quote

Quote

Our space program is dead.

Is it dead or just trying to find its direction? As exciting as putting men into space is, the most cost effective science is done by unmanned probes. Pioneer, Voyager, all those could have never been done with human presence aboard. The international space station? I'm not to aware of its purpose other than to employ aerospace engineers (which maybe is not really a bad thing.)

Even during the early days of the space race, we were ahead of our supposed competition, the USSR. They had put men and women in orbit, but more as stunts than scientific research. We had successfully orbited weather tracking satellites, communication satellites, etc. We were approaching controlled manned space flight incrementally, with the rocket plane flights in the X-15. Shooting a ballistic capsule into orbit was not a huge scientific breakthrough, it was a way to simply say "Hey, we did it too."

Am I proud of the moon landings? Hell yes. From a science standpoint, were they cost effective? I don't believe so. Did the space shuttle live up to its promise of being an inexpensive space truck? Not even close. Our return to the capsule mode for manned space flight certainly backs up my stance. Do men and women belong in space? Well, it's an extremely harsh enviroment. Travel to the moon is practical, but to Mars and beyond is a huge commitment of resources, and for what gain? To say we did it? Colonizing the moon? Once again, to what purpose?

I say "yes" to orbital manned presence if we must. But all exploration beyond our lunar orbit, I feel, is best done robotically. Even deep sea exploration is more and more the realm of robots, since the virtual presence is almost the same as being in a sealed bathysphere at 20K feet below the surface. With robots you get simpler machines, more science per pound, and the ability to launch dangerous, one way missions that would never be approved for humans.

I think NASA has done some amazing science since its creation, and the entire human race has benefitted. I think that colonizing the moon and flying men to Mars is a political pipe dream to make people feel good and think we're doing something. I feel we should abandon the Star Trek dreams until someone really invents the warp drive. NASA is American science and technology at its best. I just feel we should rethink our priorities of what we want to do with it.

I disagree. Until we are willing as a species to expand beyond our single point of failure by being on one planet, we are doomed to extinction.
The only way to learn to live in space and expand to other worlds is to do it.

If the world put forth just 10% of what is spent in killing each other here on this planet since the development of rockets, we would be a lot farther out into our solar system. By doing so we will develop new technologies to benefit all of humanity. Right now it HAS been a political stunt essentially... since grandiose plans are touted... and then not funded.

No bucks, no Buck Rogers..... is a VERY apt quote from the early days of the space program.

[billvon 3,070]

>Colonizing the moon? Once again, to what purpose?

To give humanity a second chance if we manage to destroy this planet. (Mars is a better option than the Moon; a lot more of what we need there.)

>I think that colonizing the moon and flying men to Mars is a political pipe
>dream to make people feel good and think we're doing something. I feel
>we should abandon the Star Trek dreams until someone really invents
>the warp drive.

If someone came up with a practical implementation of an Alcubierre drive tomorrow (the real world version of the 'warp drive') we'd still need to get to orbit to use it - and getting to orbit is what's required for getting to the Moon, to Mars etc. Once you have a way to get to low Earth orbit you're halfway to anywhere in the solar system you want to go.

To put it another way, we'll need to get to orbit anyway, and so we need a solution anyway.

[BillyVance 34]

If shrinking people down to inches high and then returning them back to original size were a reality, I bet we could be ages ahead of where we're at now, but alas, back to reality.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[cocheese 0]

Gia for astronaut !!!

[BillyVance 34]

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Gia for astronaut !!!

and throw vanillaskygirl in too.

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[cocheese 0]

Don't be throwing the midgets...unless they deserve it.

[Nutz 0]

You know, I have about twenty or so years before I retire so I certainly hope NASA is not dead. It looks to me like we are going to put a lot more emphasis on research.

"Don't! Get! Eliminated!"

[Amazon 7]

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You know, I have about twenty or so years before I retire so I certainly hope NASA is not dead. It looks to me like we are going to put a lot more emphasis on research.

I would LOVE to retire to a LOW G environment so I do not hurt so bad.

[BillyVance 34]

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You know, I have about twenty or so years before I retire so I certainly hope NASA is not dead. It looks to me like we are going to put a lot more emphasis on research.

I would LOVE to retire to a LOW G environment so I do not hurt so bad.

I know of quite a few that would too.... Where's Bozo been lately?

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[guppie01 0]

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Gia for astronaut !!!

wooohooo! I'm in!!!

g

"Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?"
Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU
OMG, is she okay?

[ntrprnr 0]

I was supposed to do my second Tandem ever, the day Columbia exploded. I cancelled it out of respect. I remember it was in Vegas and the person behind the counter said "yeah, well, not jumping isn't going to bring them back."

I've never gone to nor recommended that drop zone again.

_______________
"Why'd you track away at 7,000 feet?"
"Even in freefall, I have commitment issues."

[BillyVance 34]

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I was supposed to do my second Tandem ever, the day Columbia exploded. I cancelled it out of respect. I remember it was in Vegas and the person behind the counter said "yeah, well, not jumping isn't going to bring them back."

I've never gone to nor recommended that drop zone again.

Was it Michael Hawkes' place?

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[NWFlyer 2]

Quote

I think NASA has done some amazing science since its creation, and the entire human race has benefitted. I think that colonizing the moon and flying men to Mars is a political pipe dream to make people feel good and think we're doing something. I feel we should abandon the Star Trek dreams until someone really invents the warp drive. NASA is American science and technology at its best. I just feel we should rethink our priorities of what we want to do with it.

An old friend of mine who is now a pretty well known blogger/speaker/writer about astronomy commented on that very topic today ... he's definitely pro-science when it comes to NASA's budget.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/02/01/president-obamas-nasa-budget-unveiled/

"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke

[moodyskydiver 0]

I remember the day Columbia came down. I saw the flashes and smoke trailing in the sky. For hours I watch the news reporting the incident. Then the NASA crews showed up with other government agencies over the following weeks searching for debris. They asked some the college's Criminal Justice students who had been through the Crime Scene Investigations honors course to volunteer in the search. We spent hours combing through brush and fields searching for even the smallest bit of material that could have been from Columbia.

I still have my "Columbia Recovery Team" hat that they gave us to help identify the real recovery volunteers from the trophy hunters and people wanting pieces of Columbia to sell. Someone even offered to buy it from me for $40 to get access to the recovery areas. Freaking jerk.

I hope all of those lost will be remembered for their contribution to the world.

"...just an earthbound misfit, I."

[JohnMitchell 16]

Quote

An old friend of mine who is now a pretty well known blogger/speaker/writer about astronomy commented on that very topic today ... he's definitely pro-science when it comes to NASA's budget.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2010/02/01/president-obamas-nasa-budget-unveiled/

Nice article. Thanks for the link, Krisanne.

[Beerlight 0]

Quote

I disagree. Until we are willing as a species to expand beyond our single point of failure by being on one planet, we are doomed to extinction.
The only way to learn to live in space and expand to other worlds is to do it.

If the world put forth just 10% of what is spent in killing each other here on this planet since the development of rockets, we would be a lot farther out into our solar system. By doing so we will develop new technologies to benefit all of humanity. Right now it HAS been a political stunt essentially... since grandiose plans are touted... and then not funded.

No bucks, no Buck Rogers..... is a VERY apt quote from the early days of the space program.

It's good to have someone like you in NASA's corner and I thank you.