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Columbia Space Disaster

Columbia Space Disaster. Samhita Nanduri Period 4. Columbia’s Long History. Columbia’s first space flight: 1981, 20 years after the first space flight To build Columbia was a long process: 1972 – 1981 was dedicated to testing and structural changes.

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Columbia Space Disaster

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  1. Columbia Space Disaster Samhita Nanduri Period 4

  2. Columbia’s Long History • Columbia’s first space flight: 1981, 20 years after the first space flight • To build Columbia was a long process: 1972 – 1981 was dedicated to testing and structural changes. • STS-107, the flight name of its last journey, was Columbia’s 28th flight • “The original Columbia was the first American vessel to circumnavigate the globe. The shuttle Columbia equaled the feat, only a little higher.” (Is the Shuttle, CNN)

  3. STS-107 • Columbia’s 28th flight was a 16-day journey • The Crew: • Rick Husband • William McCool • Michael Anderson • David Brown • KalpanaChawla • Laurel Clark • Ilan Ramon

  4. Historical Crew Members • KalpanaChawla was the first Indian woman to go to space, and the second Indian person. • Ilan Ramon was the first Israeli to go to space

  5. What Happened • On February 1, 2003, and 9 a.m., Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated and exploded on its re-enter into Earth’s atmosphere.

  6. What Technically Happened • When the ship launched, a small piece of foam broke away from insulation and blocked the “thermal protection system”, the system that prevents the ship from overheating when re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. The actual disaster occurred as the ship broke apart, due to internal heating.

  7. Source: National Geographic

  8. Interestingly Enough… • NASA engineers are required to check the engine and compartments of the plane before launch • During checking, engineers noticed that tiles, foam, and other debris had the possibility of breaking off • During Columbia’s journey, NASA supervisors reasoned that there would be little to do if any emergency occurred.

  9. Mission Control Center • At 9 in the morning, Columbia lost connection with the Mission Control Center, a few minutes before its crash • After realizing that they lost the shuttle, flight directors and members of the Control Center immediately started securing information related to the landing. Flight Director LeRoy Cain, Johnson Space Center

  10. Thesis: The tragic Columbia Space disaster of 2003 reflected national progress not only in aeronautical advances, but also in hostile thinking.

  11. The Aftermath

  12. After Columbia exploded, debris covered Texas and parts of surrounding states • They included: parts of the ship, hazardous pure forms of hydrazine and ammonia, and crew remains (Astronaut Remains, FOXNews).

  13. Impact on NASA • In an analysis of the safety in space shuttles, Richard Blomberg stated that “The problem is that the boundary between safe and unsafe operations can seldom be quantitatively defined or accurately predicted. Even the most well meaning managers may not know when they cross it. This is particularly true for an ageing system” (Blomberg, 3). • Blomberg was the Former Chair of Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel

  14. Impact on NASA Communications • This can be directly related to Columbia, who’s first flight happened in 1981. According to Randy Avera, a former engineer of NASA, NASA did not have a straight-forward safety procedure for emergencies such as Columbia (Randy Avera, CNN). As a result, NASA was forced to update their communication within their various specializations. • NASA brought in consultants to bridge communication gaps between different levels of superiority.

  15. Physical Changes • NASA updated their ship structure, especially with the tanks and pads (NASA powerpoint, 32).

  16. President Bush • “Many political analysts believe Bush found his voice as a national leader in the days after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.” (Is the Shuttle, CNN). • Addressed the disaster as an act of comfort Source: National Public Radio

  17. Blast from the Past

  18. Challenger Disaster • January 28, 1986 • The flight lasted 73 seconds, and all 7 members of crew were killed Source: CNN

  19. Similarities • 1. Communication: Just as NASA brought in consultants to aid communication between various fields, Challenger’s disaster was blamed for lacking in a Decision Support System • “In short, NASA was operating in a phase of semi-uncontrolled decision making while trying to serve the military, industry and international research organizations with a space vehicle that had been declared operational before completion of the developmental stage [4].” (Forrest, 12).

  20. Similarities • 2. Presidential Involvement: • Just as Bush had addressed Columbia’s disaster, Ronald Reagan spoke to the country almost immediately after the disaster • He even postponed his State of the Union Address, to be given that night, for a week. • Many believed he was a comfort

  21. Similarities • 3. Investigations • The Reagan Administration created the Rogers Commission to investigate the cause of Challenger’s destruction. • Worked for 32 months, gave Reagan the report of cause • The Bush Administration created the Columbia Accident Investigation Board • Worked to make safety options in times of disaster, such as space walk escapes and escape shuttles

  22. How USA adapted from Challenger • In 1986, NASA was considered to be controlled solely by the President: “Its organizational boundary was highly political and open for manipulation by any entity that could exert political power. Upon declaring the Shuttle "operational," the Reagan Administration removed the motivation of NASA employees to manage and left them with the impression that decision making would be made by directive from political sources.” (Forrest, 13). • With an established Decision committee, NASA exerted more power

  23. Changes in Thinking

  24. Terrorist Accusations • Following September 11, 2001, it was clear that the USA was affected by the Terrorist Attacks • Ilan Ramon was an Israeli astronaut, and was speculated to be a target of terrorism • The Bush Administration found no evidence of terrorism, and immediately answered speculation: "We have no information at this time that indicates that this was a terrorism incident,” (Johndroe, No Evidence).

  25. Conclusion • With 9/11 attacks, and wars in the Middle East, the Columbia space shuttle reminded America of tragedy. To have been terrorized on American soil not since Pearl Harbor, was a huge factor for Americans. This reflected the significant changes of American perspective, from 1986 to 2003. Overall, Columbia’s tragedy caused new development and progress, a characteristic second-nature to America.

  26. Question #1 (Critical Thinking) • How did Reagan’s address on the day of the Challenger reflect on Bush’s address?

  27. Answer #1 • Both addressed the country immediately, and Reagan’s care to comfort citizens, by postponing the State of the Union Address, reflected on Bush’s address.

  28. Question #2 (Factual) • In what ways has NASA decided to improve itself?

  29. Answer #2 • It improved its shuttle/engine parts, improved communication between levels of control, and created organization groups to investigate problems.

  30. Question #3 (Critical Thinking) • How did the responses of people in 2003 reflect the time period?

  31. Answer #3 • Thoughts of terrorism indicate the impact of the fear of terrorism on the country. The fact that an Israeli astronaut was on board caused many to blame the crash on foreign countries’ doing.

  32. Question #4 (Factual) • How did NASA officials and the crew handle knowing that something was wrong? What happened in the Mission Control Center?

  33. Answer #4 • They realized something was wrong while Columbia was in orbit, but worried little. After Columbia crashed, LeRoy Cain, Flight Director, said “Lock all Doors”, meaning that Mission Control Center had to secure all information on the landing.

  34. Sources • Primary Sources • “Statement of Richard Blomberg, Former Chair, Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, before the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics” with Richard Blomberg is a valuable primary source, because it described the safety measures NASA took from a direct authority. I used this source to help me explain the impact of Colbumbia’s crash, and its effects on prior safety regulations on NASA. • “NASA Press Conference Announced”by Robert Mirelson is a primary source used to give details of what happened with Columbia and the steps Mission Control Center took after destruction.

  35. Works Cited “Astronaut Remains Found on Ground.” FOX News. N.p., 3 Feb. 2003. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.foxnews.com/‌story/‌0,2933,77351,00.html>. Blomberg, Richard D. Letter to Mr. Chairman and Distinguished Members of the Subcommittee. 18 Apr. 2002. Statement of Richard D. Blomgberg. N.p.: n.p., 2002. 2-4. NASA . Web. 13 May 2011. <http://www.nasa.gov/‌pdf/‌9090main_blomberg5.1.03.pdf>. Challenger Disaster Live. CNN. 28 Jan. 1986. CNN.com. Web. Transcript. 16 May 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/‌watch?v=j4JOjcDFtBE>. Forrest, Jeff. “The Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster.” Metropolitan State College. alexander P. Power and Daniel Power, 2011. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://dssresources.com/‌cases/‌spaceshuttlechallenger/‌index.html>. “Like Reagan Before Him, Bush Mourns Shuttle Loss.” Challenger and Columbia, U.S. Presidents’ Remarks. National Public Radio. 1 Feb. 2003. National Public Radio. Web. Transcript. 16 May 2011. <http://www.npr.org/‌news/‌specials/‌shuttle/‌reagan_bush/‌index.html>. “Lost: Space Shuttle Columbia.” Cable News Network. Time Warner Company, 2005. Web. 13 May 2011. <http://www.cnn.com/‌SPECIALS/‌2003/‌shuttle/>.

  36. Works Cited Continued • Mirelson, Robert. “NASA Press Conference Announced.” Nasa. N.p., 31 Mar. 2003. Web. 13 May 2011. <http://history.nasa.gov/‌columbia/‌Troxell/‌Columbia%20Web%20Site/‌Documents/‌NASA/‌Press%20Releases/‌FEBRUA%7E2.TXT>. • O’Brien, Miles. “Ex-NASA Engineer: Shuttle Report Finds Safety Program Lacking.” Cable News Network. Time Warner Company, 26 Aug. 2003. Web. 13 May 2011. <http://www.cnn.com/‌2003/‌TECH/‌space/‌08/‌26/‌cnna.colu.avera/‌index.html>. • “Officials: No Evidence of Terrorism.” Cable News Network. Time Warner Company, 2005. Web. 13 May 2011. <http://www.cnn.com/‌2003/‌US/‌02/‌01/‌security.shuttle/‌index.html>. • Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster. BBC.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.youtube.com/‌watch?v=6R4ctaCBapM>. • Stenger, Robert. “Is the Shuttle Worth It?” Cable News Network. Time Warner, 5 Feb. 2003. Web. 16 May 2011. <http://www.cnn.com/‌2003/‌TECH/‌space/‌02/‌05/‌sprj.colu.shuttle.future/‌index.html>. • **Pictures from Google Images

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