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Space Shuttle Columbia STS-107 Special Coverage
Day to Day Timeline of Events
Researchers Assess Status
of STS-107 Science Data
Tuesday,
March
4,
2003
-
6
p.m.
CST
The
past
week
was
a
good
one
for
the
Columbia
Accident
Investigation
Board,
retired
Adm.
Harold
W. "Hal" Gehman
Jr.,
CAIB
chairman,
said
today.
Gehman told a press briefing in Houston that a number of independent
investigations into elements of Space Shuttle Columbia's destruction
are "offering tidbits of information." But in response to questions,
he refused to characterize how advanced the investigation is. "We
don't know how far along we are because we don't know where
we're going," he said.
The board continues to work seven-day weeks. "Our energy and
seriousness have not flagged," Gehman said, adding that the
board is confident it will find the primary and contributing
causes of the accident.
Three other board members, representing each of the board's
three groups, participated in the briefing, held at Houston's
Lunar and Planetary Institute. Roger Tetrault of the material
analysis group; Steven Wallace of the group looking at operations,
training and flight readiness certification; and Rear Adm.
Stephen Turcotte of the maintenance, materials and management
group outlined progress.
Tetrault, former chairman and CEO of McDermott International,
outlined debris finds, including tiles that had black, aluminum-containing
deposits on them. "I think it would be fair to say we have
more questions than answers now, but we're getting smarter
fast." He said 22,563 pieces of debris have been found, of
which 16,063 have been identified. Debris collected so far
weighs 32,100 pounds, about 13.7 percent of Columbia's original
weight, he said.
The search for debris continued in Texas Tuesday, though clouds
kept search aircraft from flying. Ground crews found more than
1,000 pieces of material believed to be from the Shuttle, including
thermal protection tiles and a 26-inch-diameter helium tank
found near San Augustine, Texas, and a right-hand main landing
gear actuator near Hemphill.
Today, 39 crews from the Nacogdoches command post, 35 crews
from Hemphill, 34 from Palestine and 50 from Corsicana participated
in the search. Due to heavy rains Monday, some crews worked
only half days.
Navy-led dive teams continued their search in Toledo Bend reservoir
and Lake Nacogdoches.
California volunteer posses completed a low-intensity search
effort along the California coast without finding any Shuttle
materials. They were looking for debris that might have fallen
into the ocean and drifted to shore in Mendocino, Sonoma and
Marin Counties 30 miles north and south of Columbia's re-entry
track. Weather continued to postpone search activities in Nevada
and New Mexico.
Friday, Feb. 28, 2003 - 6 p.m. CST
About 13 minutes of video recorded by Columbia's
crew Feb. 1 as they prepared for landing was released today
on NASA television. The video recorded on the flight deck was
taken with a small camera mounted first to the right of Pilot
Willie McCool and later held by Mission Specialist Laurel Clark.
Commander Rick Husband and Mission Specialist Kalpana Chawla,
the other two crewmembers seated on the flight deck, also are
visible in the video. The video begins about 7:35 a.m. CST
when Columbia was about 500,000 feet above the South Pacific
and ends when the orbiter was approaching the San Francisco
Bay area, about 11 minutes before contact between Columbia
and the Mission Control Center in Houston was lost. Apparently
the rest of the tape had been destroyed.
Astronaut Scott Altman described the tape as showing the crew
going through normal landing preparations. It is like tapes
routinely shot during Shuttle re-entries, he said. It shows
flashes and plasma events out the window typical of night entries,
with nothing unusual noted.
The tape was found Feb. 6 near Palestine, Texas, on its take-up
reel but without the tape case. On normal Shuttle missions,
audio and video are normally recorded through to landing.
Lufkin, Texas, Mayor Louis Bronaugh visited the operations
center at Lufkin today and accepted on behalf of his city a
certificate of appreciation from FEMA's Scott Wells, the Federal
Coordinating Officer for the Columbia recovery effort, and
NASA's Allen Flynt and David Whittle, who are leading NASA's
search efforts. The certificate thanked the City of Lufkin
for its support of the search effort. Debris recovery coordination
efforts were consolidated this week from several field centers
into the single Lufkin site.
During the past two days, searchers continued to recover a
variety of materials from the Space Shuttle Columbia, including
a large section of the outboard corner of the left wing's inboard
elevon, and the 17-inch disconnect assembly from the Shuttle's
belly. The 17-inch disconnect is significant in that it may
lead searchers to cameras that were mounted nearby for the
purpose of documenting the condition of the external tank as
it is jettisoned.
Weather cleared for some search efforts today, but continued
to hamper others:
The 48 Corsicana ground teams resumed searches as ice thawed.
Total searchers in the field today included 940 from the Corsicana
base camp, 600 in Nacogdoches, 700 in Palestine and 740 in
Hemphill. A total of 150 crews with 3,000 searchers combed
the area.
Dive teams led by the Navy continued their search efforts in
Toledo Bend reservoir and Lake Nacogdoches. Twelve helicopters
resumed searches Wednesday from Palestine, but low ceilings
subsequently kept search aircraft on the ground.
Earlier searchers recovered what is believed to be the Combustion
Module-2 experiment facility that had been aboard the Spacehab
Research Double Module in Columbia's cargo bay. Three flame-related
experiments were conducted in the module during the STS-107
mission. Scientists estimate that more than 50 percent of data
from those experiments was received by downlink during the
mission.
The western-most find of confirmed Shuttle debris to date is
a piece of tile found about 40 miles northwest of Lubbock,
Texas. A low-intensity search effort is being organized along
the California coast, looking for any evidence of material
that might have fallen in the ocean and drifted to shore. Volunteer
sheriffs posies are expected to search the shoreline in Mendocino,
Sonoma and Marin counties, 30 miles north and south of Columbia's
re-entry track.
Tuesday,
Feb.
25,
2003
-
6:30
p.m.
CST
The
investigation
into
the
loss
of
Space
Shuttle
Columbia
is
increasing
in
depth
as
well
as
breadth,
retired
Adm.
Harold
W. "Hal" Gehman,
chairman
of
the
Columbia
Accident
Investigation
Board,
said
this
afternoon. "Our
commitment
and
resolve
to
get
to
the
bottom
of
this
is
undiminished."
Gehman and three other members of the CAIB, Air Force Brig.
Gen. Duane W. Deal, Air Force Maj. Gen. Kenneth W. Hess and
NASA Ames Research Center director Scott Hubbard, spoke at
a news conference at Johnson Space Center.
Gehman showed photos of a piece of Columbia heat-resistant
tile found near Powell, Texas, southeast of Dallas. The tile
had grooves in the ends of its bottom side and orange-colored
deposits on its outward-facing surface. Gehman said the tile
had sustained extreme heat damage. "This is not re-entry heat
damage," he said. It remains to be determined, he added, how
the damage to the tile occurred, as well as when and how the
orange material was deposited.
He also talked about the western-most find of Shuttle debris
to date, a piece of tile found about 40 miles northwest of
Lubbock, Texas. He said the tile is believed to be from the
upper surface of the left wing, near its attachment to the
fuselage.
Deal, part of a group looking at material, maintenance and
management issues for the board, said the CAIB is looking for
a cause, in part through a process of elimination. "Our duty
is to examine everything objectively," he said.
Board members were asked about the object observed on radar
moving away from the orbiting Shuttle on Jan. 17 and re-entering
the atmosphere three days later over the South Pacific. Board
members described it as a lightweight material, about 1 foot
by 1 foot in size. An extensive analysis of radar data that
began after the Columbia accident led to the discovery of the
object on Feb. 6. That analysis is continuing in an effort
to determine the identity of the object.
Hess said the board would compare STS-107 with other Columbia
re-entries. He said some commanders have reported wing roughness,
while others didn't notice. Gehman said the board is looking
carefully at weather at re-entry on Feb. 1, which he said was "in
general, a particularly calm and benign environment."
In response to a question, Gehman said the board is looking
very carefully, "from a dozen points of view," at the three
Boeing analyses of possible tile damage from foam insulation
from the external tank. No conclusions have been reached, he
said.
Monday,
Feb.
24,
2003 ¥ 5
p.m.
CST
Helped
by
sunny
but
breezy
weekend
weather
in
Texas
and
Louisiana,
ground
searchers
continued
to
recover
debris
believed
to
be
from
Space
Shuttle
Columbia.
Among
the
finds
were
what
was
thought
to
be
a
main
landing
gear
strut,
additional
parts
of
the
left
wing
and
a
4-
by
6-foot
piece
of
mid-body
sidewall.
Other items included what appeared to be a piece of Orbital
Maneuvering System tankage and protective heat-resistant tiles.
More than 2,400 ground searchers were in the field Sunday,
in 20-member teams based in the Texas towns of Nacogdoches,
Hemphill, Palestine and Corsicana. An additional 440 people
were training for search activities. Methodical ground grid
searches continued to be productive in aiding in the discovery
of smaller pieces of shuttle debris.
High winds hampered air and water searches during the weekend.
The addition of another Navy team brought the total number
of dive teams to eight. Other dive teams represented the Houston
and Galveston police departments, the Texas Department of Public
Safety and the Environmental Protection Agency. Despite the
wind, searchers were able to recover pieces of tile from Lake
Bardwell near Waxahachie, Texas.
The effort to consolidate three search coordination field offices
(Barksdale AFB, La., the Joint Reserve Base (Carswell Field),
Texas, and Hemphill, Texas) into the main facility at Lufkin,
Texas, progressed over the weekend.
Investigators searched sites near Caliente, Nev., for what
could be a piece of Columbia debris tracked by air traffic
control radar during the time of the spacecraft¬s Feb. 1 descent
over California and Nevada. While some material was recovered
in the area, none was confirmed as coming from Columbia.
Similar work to narrow the possible locations of other debris
in the U.S. Southwest continued; although, no new areas were
identified for further investigation. As of late Monday, no
shuttle debris was confirmed west of the Littlefield, Texas.
area.
Thursday,
Feb.
20,
2003
-
6
p.m.CST
Investigators
are
searching
the
area
of
Caliente,
Nev.,
for
what
could
be
a
piece
of
Space
Shuttle
Columbia
debris
believed
to
have
been
tracked
by
air
traffic
control
radar
after
it
was
shed
early
in
the
spacecraft's
descent
over
California
and
Nevada
Feb.
1.
Video imagery of Columbia's entry provided to NASA was analyzed
by imagery, trajectory and ballistics experts. The results
of that analysis were then provided to National Transportation
Safety Board officials who reviewed air traffic control radar
imagery in that area during the time of Columbia's descent.
The review resulted in what is believed to be a significant
radar track of a piece of debris as it fell to Earth. As a
result, a search of the Caliente area near the Nevada-Utah
border is under way using Civil Air Patrol assets. A search
using additional means also may be forthcoming.
Similar work to narrow the possible locations of other debris
believed to have been shed by Columbia above the U.S. Southwest
continues, although no other areas have yet been identified
for further investigation.
About 25,000 pounds of Columbia debris is now at Kennedy Space
Center in Florida. That total is about 11 percent of the orbiter's
weight as it descended from orbit. About 5,600 items from the
spacecraft currently are at KSC.
The search for Columbia debris continues in Texas and Louisiana.
So far, no confirmed Shuttle debris has been found west of
Granbury, Texas, near Fort Worth.
The Forest Service says more than 2,100 searchers should be
in the field by Friday. They'll be a part of more than 100
teams based in Corsicana, Nacogdoches, Hemphill and Palestine,
Texas. Bad weather hampered the search on Thursday. The search
is being intensified to beat the area's spring bloom, which
would make debris harder to find.
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe Thursday re-emphasized the
Agency's intent not to launch another Space Shuttle until the
cause or probable cause of the Columbia accident is found and
corrected.
At a press conference from Stennis Space Center in Mississippi,
O'Keefe told reporters NASA would do nothing to compromise
the Agency's emphasis on safety. "Nothing I'm aware of that
would suggest than anything we did should cause us to change
the way we do business" in that area, he said.
NASA's position is still that there is no favorite theory about
the cause of the Columbia accident. "It's all on the table," O'Keefe
said in response to a reporter's question.
Tuesdsay, Feb. 18, 2003 - 6 p.m. CST
An external tank virtually identical to the one
launched with Space Shuttle Columbia Jan. 16 has been impounded
at Michoud Operations at New Orleans, retired Adm. Harold W. "Hal" Gehman,
chairman of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, said
today.
Speaking at a press conference at NASA's Johnson Space Center
in Houston, he said the external tank, produced just after
Columbia's, would be carefully examined. He added that during
its visit to New Orleans last week, "we were extraordinarily
impressed with what we saw at Michoud," in terms of staff and
the facility itself.
Gehman was joined at the briefing by three fellow board members,
Air Force Maj. Gen. John Barry, Steven Wallace, director of
accident investigation for the Federal Aviation Administration;
and Dr. James N. Hallock, chief of the Aviation Safety Division
of the Transportation Safety Institute.
Berry leads the board's group looking at maintenance, material
and management. Wallace heads the group looking at operations,
crew training and life sciences. Hallock leads the group looking
at engineering and technology evaluation.
"My job is to coordinate among all these individual investigations," Gehman said.
He added that the pace of the investigation is accelerating rapidly. He promised
that the board's final report would put the Columbia accident in the context
of the nation's space program. He added that the first in a series of public
hearings on the accident would be held next week.
At the briefing, Gehman said he was open to further expansion
of the investigation board. The latest addition to the board,
Dr. Sheila Widnall, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology
faculty member and former Secretary of the Air Force, will
join the board later this week.
Gehman announced the opening of the board's Washington, D.C.,
office and the appointment of Thomas L. Carter as board assistant
for government relations. Carter will be the board's independent
representative in Washington. He will maintain contact with
Congress and Executive Branch organizations.
Carter is an Air Force Reserve flag officer with more than
10,000 flying hours, mostly as a commercial pilot. He lives
in Charleston, S.C.
Anyone wanting to send information to the board by mail can
reach them at: Columbia Accident Investigation Board, 16850
Saturn Lane, Houston, Texas 77058. Gehman also says the board
is setting up its own web site and 1-800 number to help the
public contact them directly.
The search for Columbia debris continues. Gehman thanked volunteers
for their search efforts. "We still need debris," he said,
adding that collection is very important to the board. He said
about 4,000 pieces of debris are at Kennedy Space Center, of
which 2,600 have been identified, catalogued and are out on
the reconstruction hangar floor. An additional 10,000 pieces
are headed toward Barksdale Air Force Base at Shreveport, La.,
or KSC.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said that 77
percent of sites in Texas and 99 percent of sites in Louisiana
where Shuttle debris had been reported have been cleared.
Board member Hallock said it appears that things were beginning
to come off Columbia as it passed over California. He said
that while it is important to understand what those pieces
were, none has been found. As of early Tuesday, the western
boundary of the debris field remained just west of the Fort
Worth, Texas, area.
The Forest Service-led Southern Area Incident Command "Blue
Team" has set up a base camp in Nacogdoches, Texas. The debris
search team has about 350 people and is expected to grow to
650 people during the next few days. Two other teams with about
700 members from NASA and more than a dozen other organizations
are being deployed to Palestine and Hemphill, Texas. The number
of searchers is expected to grow to more than 2,000 by the
end of the week.
Friday, Feb. 14, 2003 - 6 p.m. CST
The search continued for debris from Columbia, though
efforts were hampered by rain in parts of East Texas. More
rain was forecast for the area. As of early Friday, the westward
boundary of the debris field remained just west of the Fort
Worth, Texas area. Still, teams continued to investigate reports
of debris as far west as California.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency reported that the Shuttle
debris recovery operations were proceeding well. FEMA said
74 percent of sites in Texas and 89 percent of sites in Louisiana
had been cleared.
About 400 Forest Service searchers were expected to join the
effort by Monday, and that number was expected to increase
to 2,000 by Feb. 20, FEMA said. Other federal, state and local
emergency workers supported Shuttle disaster operations. Twenty-four
of them worked in searches outside Texas and Louisiana.
Navy divers and their equipment were at Toledo Bend Reservoir
on the Sabine River, which separates Texas and Louisiana. The
Navy had taken control of water recovery operations and was
expected to focus first on Toledo Bend and then on other lakes
in the affected area. Water searches were expected to take
about 45 days.
Members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board flew to
Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., this morning
after two days at Kennedy Space Center. The trip was designed
to familiarize members with operations at the two NASA centers.
In addition, members on Saturday were to visit the Michoud
Operations facility near New Orleans, where shuttle external
tanks are fabricated. The board planned to return to Houston
Saturday night.
Thursday, Feb. 13, 2003 - 7 p.m. CST
The Columbia Accident Investigation Board said today preliminary
analysis by a NASA working group indicates the temperature
indications seen in Columbia's left wheel well during entry
would require the presence of plasma. Plasma is a super heated
gas surrounding the orbiter during re-entry.
The CAIB said heat transfer through the structure, as from
a missing tile, would not be sufficient to cause the temperature
indications seen in the last minutes of flight. Additional
analysis is under way, looking at various scenarios in which
a breach of some type could occur, allowing plasma into the
wheel well area or elsewhere in the wing.
Other flight data, including landing gear position indicators
and drag information, indicate it is unlikely the left landing
gear was deployed early, the CAIB said.
The search continues in the western United States for debris
from Columbia. As of early Thursday, no debris found farther
west than Granbury, Texas, about 40 miles southwest of Fort
Worth, had been confirmed as Shuttle-related. The first two
trucks containing debris from Columbia arrived at Kennedy Space
Center (KSC), Fla. Wednesday morning.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reported today
the Shuttle debris recovery operation is proceeding well. FEMA
said 72 percent of sites in Texas and 84 percent of sites in
Louisiana have been cleared.
The Environmental Protection Agency has 42 teams conducting
operations in five Texas counties. Searches are focused on
large structural items, and a plan is being developed to support
expanded searches in areas where NASA-identified critical items
have been found.
The Civil Air Patrol is expanding operations west of Fort Worth,
and negotiations are under way to bring in a blimp to help
search in the area from Fort Worth east to Palestine, Texas.
The Navy is taking control of water operations, with dive teams
and equipment arriving today. Searches will focus first on
the Toledo Bend Reservoir and then turn to other lakes in the
affected area.
The CAIB spent its second day visiting KSC. The trip's purpose
is to familiarize members with operations at the center from
which Columbia was launched Jan. 16.
On Friday the board is scheduled to visit the Marshall Space
Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Ala. On Saturday members
are scheduled to visit the Michoud, La., facility near New
Orleans where Shuttle external tanks are fabricated, before
returning to Houston Saturday night.
Leroy Cain, the Space Shuttle entry flight director on Feb.
1, will hold a press conference at 3:30 p.m. EST Friday. It
will be carried live on NASA Television. Before that press
conference, NASA-TV will carry a videotape of events inside
the Shuttle Flight Control Room on Feb. 1. The video will be
shown beginning at noon and 3 p.m. EST.
Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2003 - 7 p.m. CDT
Two trucks containing debris from the space shuttle Columbia
arrived at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) this morning. They were
the first bringing debris from Barksdale AFB near Shreveport,
La., to KSC where investigators will lay them out, about as
they were positioned on Columbia.
Members of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB)
arrived at KSC about 11 a.m. EST today. The group toured facilities,
including the Orbiter Processing Facility Bay 2, housing the
Shuttle Endeavour, and Bay 3, where Discovery is undergoing
maintenance. The CAIB also visited the Vehicle Assembly Building
where Shuttle Atlantis, with its external tank and solid rocket
boosters, is atop its mobile launch platform. The CAIB met
at intervals throughout the day with KSC officials to get an
overview of ground processing activities.
On Thursday the board is scheduled to visit the Solid Rocket
Booster (SRB) Disassembly Facility and tour the SRB assembly
and refurbishment facilities. Members also will visit the Launch
Control Center and Launch Pad 39A, where Columbia was launched.
Retired Navy Admiral Harold Gehman, CAIB chairman, spoke briefly
with news media representatives. He said the CAIB wants to
look at four things at KSC: launch procedures; Shuttle refurbishment
between flights; the Columbia mishap reconstruction site; "and
be sure in our own minds the process here for Columbia reconstruction
meets our investigatory needs." The efforts will take
place in the Reusable Launch Vehicle Hangar located adjacent
to the Space Shuttle runway at KSC.
Gehman described the trip to KSC as an orientation visit. He
said the CAIB would return to KSC a number of times during
the investigation. The CAIB is scheduled to travel to Huntsville,
Ala., and then New Orleans before returning to Houston Saturday
night. Gehman said Sunday would be a workday, and that the
board would be working seven- or six-day weeks "from now
on."
More than 2,500 federal, state and local employees continued
to search for Columbia debris in Texas and Louisiana today.
Officials say they have the resources to cover every body of
water in the debris trail within 5 weeks. While teams continue
to investigate reports of debris as far west as California,
no confirmed pieces of debris from Columbia have been found
west of the Fort Worth, Texas area.
Hundreds of items continue to be collected from areas in eastern
Texas and western Louisiana. Several hundred items were shipped
in the past 24 hours to Barksdale from locations in Lufkin,
Nacogdoches and Hemphill, Texas.
The International Space Station's Expedition 6 crew, Commander
Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA Station
Science Officer Don Pettit, took time Wednesday for interviews
with CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC representatives. They talked about
their shock and grief after being told the morning of Feb.
1 by Johnson Space Center Director Jefferson D. Howell Jr.
of the loss of Columbia, and their willingness to remain aboard
the ISS as long as necessary.
Tuesday, February 11, 2003 - 2 p.m. CST
Columbia debris recovery efforts continued today centered
in areas of eastern Texas and western Louisiana. More than
1,600 recovered items are at Barksdale Air Force Base, Shreveport,
La. Barksdale is the central field collection point for debris
being shipped to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Fla., to begin
Shuttle Columbia reconstruction.
In addition, more than 300 items are at each of the field collection
sites in Lufkin, Palestine and San Augustine, Texas, awaiting
shipment to Barksdale. A smaller volume is at Carswell Naval
Air Station in Fort Worth, Texas. Shipments of debris from
Barksdale AFB to KSC begin this week. Two truckloads of items
departed Louisiana en-route to KSC today.
No confirmed debris has been recovered west of the Fort Worth
area. Teams continue to investigate reports from 27 states
and eight jurisdictions outside of the U.S. Of 179 reports
received from California, 105 have been closed. Of 162 reports
in Arizona, eight have been closed. Of 12 reports in New Mexico,
four have been closed.
To assist recovery efforts, searchers are using Civil Air Patrol
volunteers, airborne radar and other assets. U.S. Navy assets
also may be used to search the waters of Toledo Bend and Sam
Rayburn reservoirs due to several eyewitness reports of debris
entering those lakes. The search may continue for several weeks.
Civil Air Patrol volunteers also are searching west of the
Fort Worth area in regions along Columbia's flight path.
Preliminary identification of some debris reported by the Mishap
Investigation Team included a roughly two-foot square section
of an external tank umbilical door, a hydrazine propellant
tank and electronics equipment from the Ku-band communications
system. The Ku-band communications debris was erroneously identified
yesterday as one of Columbia's five flight control computers,
known as General Purpose Computers (GPCs). No GPCs have been
identified among recovered items. All identifications of items
are preliminary.
On the International Space Station, Expedition Six Commander
Ken Bowersox, NASA Station Science Officer Don Pettit and Flight
Engineer Nikolai Budarin took time out from unpacking items
delivered by a Progress-10 Russian supply craft for their first
news conference since the Columbia accident. The conference
took place about three hours after the Progress' thrusters
boosted the altitude of the station approximately 6.5 miles
to an orbit of 240 x 255 miles.
Bowersox said the crew first heard of the loss of Columbia
from Johnson Space Center Director Jefferson Howell, and the
crew is being kept apprised of the status of the accident investigation.
"My first reaction was pure shock," Bowersox said. "I was numb, and it was hard
to believe that what we were experiencing was really happening. And then as reality
wore on, we were able to feel some sadness."
Bowersox said Mission Control has reduced the crew's schedule
to allow time for grief and reflection, and the crew was provided
ample opportunity for communication with families for emotional
support.
"We've had time to grieve for our friends, and that was very important. When
you're up here this long, you can't just bottle up your emotions and focus all
of the time," Bowersox said. "It's important for us to acknowledge that the people
on STS-107 were our friends, that we had a connection with them, and that we
feel their loss, and each of us had a chance to shed some tears. But now, it's
time to move forward and we're doing that slowly," he said.
Bowersox and Pettit said they have told Mission Control they
are willing to stay in orbit for a year or more if necessary,
and they would consider the extra time a bonus, not a hardship.
They said that if it were decided that a two-person crew should
relieve them, that crew would be kept busy maintaining station
systems but could still perform useful research.
"There would be time to do some level of research, and by virtue of having people
here, you are always doing research on your body itself, looking at the effects
of long duration, weightlessness on the human physiology," Pettit said. "So it's
important to keep people on Station. If we could continue to collect data and
life science data in data sets for 10 or 15 year periods, it may actually turn
out to be one of the more valuable data sets we get," he said.
Monday, February 10, 2003 - 6 p.m. CST
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe reported today approximately
12,000 pieces of debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia have
been collected along a 500-mile swath between Ft. Worth, Texas,
and the Louisiana-Texas border. The debris is being tagged
for identification and transported to the Kennedy Space Center
(KSC), Fla., for use in the on-going investigation.
There is no primary or favorite theory as to what caused the
Feb. 1 Shuttle accident. Fault-tree analysis and Probability
Risk Assessments continue to be important tools to ensure no
possible cause is overlooked. NASA's focus is on helping to
determine the cause of the accident, finding solutions to the
problems, and returning to safe flight operations as soon as
possible.
A section of reinforced carbon-carbon from the leading edge
of a Shuttle wing was recovered. It is believed to be from
the left wing. Teams continue to search for and collect debris.
The first pieces of debris are expected to begin the 18-hour
journey by truck from Barksdale AFB to KSC on Tuesday and arrive
on Wednesday.
Administrator O'Keefe said that NASA has done its best to be
open and forthcoming with information about the accident investigation,
and that it is time to transition that responsibility to the
independent Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB). NASA
will continue to release information periodically as appropriate
as it becomes available. "We will defer to the CAIB to set
the pace of discussions of how the investigation itself is
progressing," O'Keefe said. He added that the Board will advise
NASA when the data and hardware that has been impounded will
be released for continued Shuttle operations.
"We intend to fully support and ensure the Board has independence and objectivity
to proceed as its members feel appropriate," Administrator O'Keefe said. "We
will defer to the CAIB to set the pace of discussions of how the investigation
is progressing."
O'Keefe said that the NASA Inspector General has been an observer
on the ground from the beginning, helping to ensure the independence
and objectivity of the CAIB under the terms of the Inspector
General Act.
O'Keefe added that he intends to release the CAIB's recommendations
to the public as soon as they are available. "It is our responsibility
to make that informed judgment public," he said, explaining
that the scope and breadth of the Board members' experience
in aircraft and other types of accidents is more than NASA
could bring to bear on the investigation.
The CAIB will conduct its first press conference at 3 p.m.
EST Tuesday, Feb. 11, in Teague Auditorium at the Johnson Space
Center, Houston. Board Chairman Harold W. Gehman Jr., will
introduce CAIB members and discuss Board structure, activities,
and plans for the investigation.
The Expedition 6 crew aboard the International Space Station
continued to unpack supplies delivered aboard the Progress-10
resupply ship and to prepare for a 6:34 a.m. EST Tuesday re-boost
of the station using the Progress thrusters. The re-boost will
last about 22 minutes and increase the Station's orbit approximately
7 miles.
Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and
NASA Station Science Officer Don Pettit will field questions
from reporters during a news conference starting at 9:34 a.m.
EST, Tuesday. The news conference will be broadcast on NASA
Television with two-way question and answer capability from
reporters at NASA centers.
While Shuttle missions are on indefinite hold, there is no
urgency to adjust plans regarding the late April launch of
a new Russian Soyuz TMA spacecraft or the makeup of its crew.
Supplies on the Station are sufficient through June. There
are enough propellants on board to maintain the Station's altitude
and attitude for a year. Options are being considered with
the International Partners to keep the station manned, safe
and productive. "First we need to keep the crew safe," said
Michael Kostelnik, Deputy Associate Administrator for International
Space Station and Space Shuttle, "and second, is to keep the
Station safe."
Friday, February 7, 2003 7 p.m. CST
The independent board charged with determining what caused
the destruction of Columbia met with NASA Administrator Sean
O'Keefe at the Johnson Space Center (JSC), Houston. Space Shuttle
Program Manager Ron Dittemore flew to the External Tank manufacturer
in Michoud, La. to discuss processing of the tank with engineers.
Recovery teams continued to search for debris.
Dittemore told an afternoon briefing that a small portion of
the reinforced carbon-carbon insulation of the leading edge
of one of the Shuttle's wings was found in the Fort Worth,
Texas area. It measures approximately 26-27 inches in length
and 18 inches wide. It has not been determined whether it is
from the left or right wing. The magnitude of the search for
shuttle debris has expanded, with more than 1200 people involved
in the recovery effort, including 220 from NASA and 800 National
Guardsmen.
The investigation is entering a new phase, now that the Columbia
Accident Investigation Board (CAIB), chaired by retired Navy
Admiral Harold Gehman, Jr., has taken over the inquiry.
"This will be a long, painstaking process," Dittemore said of the investigation. "But
I am proud of this (Shuttle Program) team. They have risen to the occasion."
Administrator O'Keefe echoed those statements when he met with
employees at the JSC, praising them for their dedication during
a time of grief, while vowing that the space program would
emerge from the accident stronger than ever.
The CAIB will be based near JSC. The CAIB Charter is available
on the Internet at: http://www.nasa.gov/columbia/board_documents.pdf
In his afternoon briefing, Dittemore presented charts showing
the sequential shutdown of sensors during the final minutes
of Columbia's flight as the orbiter encountered a problem as
yet undefined. He also revealed a fuzzy photo taken by Air
Force cameras as Columbia flew overhead. Dittemore discounted
earlier press reports, which interpreted the damage, as premature.
He said, " It is not clear to me that this photo reveals anything
significant at this point."
While data analysis continued, the residents of the International
Space Station completed their unloading of a Russian Progress
resupply ship today and conducted a variety of biomedical experiments.
Expedition 6 Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai
Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit are in their
76th day in space, their 74th day on board the complex.
With shuttle missions on indefinite hold, NASA managers are
discussing whether adjustments are needed to the late April
launch of a new Russian Soyuz TMA spacecraft from the Baikonur
Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It would be manned by a "taxi" crew
that delivers the craft used for assured crew return to the
Station and returns to Earth in the Soyuz currently at the
station. Potential options are being looked at in concert with
the International Partners to keep the Station manned, safe,
and productive.
While there are no plans to remove the Station crew during
the Shuttle recovery period, discussions are ongoing to ensure
proper manning and supplies until Shuttles fly again. Another
Progress cargo vehicle is scheduled for launch the Station
in June to maintain a robust supply of food, fuel, and maintenance
components.
The Progress at the Station may use its engines early next
week to boost the Station, two nautical miles at its apogee
and 10 nautical miles at its perigee, to place the station
at the correct altitude for the late April Soyuz launch. A
decision will be made Monday when the boost will occur.
On Tuesday, the Expedition 6 crew will field questions from
reporters during a news conference from the Station beginning
at 9:34 a.m. EST. The news conference will be broadcast on
NASA Television with two-way question and answer capability
from reporters at NASA centers.
The next STS-107 Accident Response briefings will be on Monday
from NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. The time has not
yet been determined. It will also be on NASA TV, with multi-center
question and answer capability.
Thursday, Feb. 6, 2003 - 7:00 p.m. CST
The independent board charged with determining what caused
the destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the loss
of its seven astronauts began its work today at the Johnson
Space Center, Houston. Recovery teams continued to search for
debris from California to Louisiana.
Under the leadership of retired Navy admiral Harold Gehman,
Jr., the Columbia Accident Board received a briefing from Shuttle
Program Manager Ron Dittemore. The board began the process
of gathering material collected since Columbia's breakup during
reentry just 16 minutes before landing on Feb 1.
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe reaffirmed the Board will act
as a "totally independent entity in assessing all of the
factors" associated with Columbia's loss. Administrator
O'Keefe added, "We will be guided by the findings of the
Board."
As search teams looked for debris for hundreds of miles throughout
the west, the southwest and the Gulf Coast, O'Keefe said he
met with the International Space Station Partners today following
the memorial ceremony for Columbia's astronauts at Washington's
National Cathedral attended by Vice-President Cheney. O'Keefe
said the Partners expressed their support for the recovery
effort and NASA's vow to find the cause for the accident for
the resumption of safe flight operations.
O'Keefe indicated that Admiral Gehman may consider adding another
member or members to the Independent Board that have no affiliation
or ties to NASA in further strengthening its charter. The Charter
is available on line at: http://www.nasa.gov/columbia/board_documents.pdf
O'Keefe will appear before a joint hearing of the Senate and
House Science Committees, Wednesday, Feb. 12, to provide details
of the progress of the investigation.
In his afternoon briefing, Dittemore described the pace of
the inquiry and data and debris collection as "fast and furious." He
said the Shuttle program would support Admiral Gehman's Board "in
any way we can".
Dittemore said more than 1000 pieces of Shuttle debris have
been recovered. Items found as far west as California are currently
being analyzed to see whether they are from Columbia. As of
today, no debris found west of Fort Worth, Texas, has been
positively identified as coming from Columbia.
"No possibility is being ruled out as the root cause for Columbia's loss," Dittemore
said. "We are still looking for that elusive missing link." Dittemore said bad
weather in the west today hampered efforts to recover additional debris. The
forecast calls for improving conditions by the weekend.
The recovered debris will be analyzed at Barksdale Air Force
Base, La., before being returned to the Kennedy Space Center
for reconstruction of Columbia, to the extent possible, and
final disposition.
Dittemore added a fault tree is being developed, based on existing
Probability Risk Assessments. He said the investigation team
has received a large number of still images and video, which
are being examined to determine if they are authentic and if
they can shed light on the investigation.
At the memorial service at National Cathedral, Cheney said
of Columbia's astronauts, "They were soldiers and scientists
and doctors and pilots, but above all they were explorers." "They
were envoys to the unknown," Cheney added. "They advanced human
understanding by showing human courage."
Aboard the Station, Expedition 6 Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight
Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA Science Officer Don Pettit
continued to unload the Russian Progress resupply ship that
docked Tuesday.
Payload controllers continued to analyze the new power components
installed yesterday in the Microgravity Science Glovebox in
the Destiny laboratory to try to determine why a circuit breaker
popped after it was powered on by Pettit. The science facility
remains off while the troubleshooting effort is underway.
On Friday, a memorial ceremony for Columbia's astronauts will
be held at the Kennedy Space Center. Florida Governor Jeb Bush,
Administrator O'Keefe and former astronaut Robert Crippen,
Columbia's first pilot on STS-1, April 12, 1981, will attend.
The ceremony will be live on NASA Television at 8:15 a.m. EST,
the exact time of Columbia's deorbit burn last Saturday.
Wednesday, February 5, 2003 - 7:00 p.m. CST
The search for clues about what caused Columbia's breakup
during reentry Saturday, and the hunt for key debris from the
orbiter, expanded today with recovery teams deployed in California
and Arizona.
Four days after Columbia broke apart 16 minutes prior to landing,
Space Shuttle Program Manager Ron Dittemore said the inquiry
into the cause for Columbia's demise is "picking up speed".
But Dittemore said efforts to draw any new information from
an additional 32 seconds of data acquired by ground computers
following the loss of voice communications with Columbia have
so far been unsuccessful.
In a briefing, Dittemore said the engineering evaluation teams
are focusing their attention on "something other" than insulating
foam on Columbia's external tank that fell off 80 seconds after
launch striking the left wing, as the reason for the accident.
"It does not make sense that a piece of (foam) debris caused the loss of Columbia
and its crew," Dittemore added. He reiterated Columbia tried to compensate for
increased drag on its left wing in the seconds prior to its breakup, firing steering
jets to right itself. But Dittemore said of Columbia,"It was doing well, but
it was losing the battle."
As the engineering analysis continued, the remains of Columbia's
astronauts were flown to Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, where
identification of the astronauts will be completed. At the
conclusion of the forensic analysis, the remains will be released
to the families for burial.
In an earlier briefing, Michael Kostelnik, NASA's Associate
Administrator for International Space Station and Space Shuttle,
said the recovery operations are moving ahead "full steam",
involving 2500 people nationwide from federal and local agencies.
Kostelnik said NASA has added a task force to integrate the
work between numerous engineering teams that are reviewing
over Columbia's data and the Columbia Accident Review board,
chaired by retired Navy Admiral Harold Gehman, Jr.
Kostelnik said that although a relatively small percentage
of Shuttle debris has been recovered so far, segments of large
components such as Columbia's nose cone and main engines have
been found. The focus of the recovery effort and the data analysis,
according to Kostelnik, continues to be Columbia's left wing
area, although no element of the orbiter has been exonerated
in the ongoing inquiry.
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 6 Commander
Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS
Science Officer Don Pettit spent the day unloading the Russian
Progress resupply ship that docked to the ISS Tuesday, carrying
one ton of food, fuel and supplies.
Pettit unstowed replacement parts for the Microgravity Science
Glovebox from the Progress and installed them in the facility
in the Destiny laboratory in an effort to revive the Glovebox
that has been dormant since November following a power failure.
Pettit powered up the Glovebox, but a circuit breaker in the
system popped and payload controllers told Pettit to shut it
down so they can evaluate its current status.
On Thursday, NASA Television will broadcast a memorial ceremony
for Columbia's astronauts from National Cathedral in Washington,
D.C. at 10:00 a.m. EST.
The next STS-107 Accident Response briefing will be held on
Thursday at 4:30 p.m. EST from the Johnson Space Center, Houston,
also on NASA TV, with multi-center question and answer capability
for reporters at NASA centers.
Tuesday, February 4, 2003 - 8:00 p.m. CST
As NASA paused to pay tribute to Columbia's astronauts, the
agency reported making "considerable progress" in
recovering debris from the Space Shuttle and analyzing data
in the search for clues to what caused the orbiter to breakup
16 minutes before its landing last Saturday.
President and Mrs. Bush joined NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe
in honoring astronauts Rick Husband, William McCool, Dave Brown,
Kalpana Chawla, Mike Anderson, Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon
in a ceremony at the Johnson Space Center, Houston. President
Bush said the nation was "blessed" to have such men
and women serving the space program, and although NASA is being
tested at this time, "America's space program will go
on."
In an afternoon briefing, Michael Kostelnik, NASA's Associate
Administrator for International Space Station and Space Shuttle
said several engineering teams continue to work round-the-clock
to reconstruct the timeline of the final minutes of Columbia's
flight from extensive data that is being analyzed.
Kostelnik said the Columbia Accident Investigation Board, chaired
by retired U.S. Navy Admiral Harold W. Gehman, Jr., is on scene
at Barksdale Air Force Base, La. where the recovery of debris
and human remains is being coordinated.
Kostelnik reported that larger and denser pieces of debris
have been found in Louisiana, possibly including parts of Columbia's
main engines. He said recovery teams have been dispatched to
California and Arizona, where debris has been reported. Kostelnik
indicated debris recovered from areas farthest to the west
would be critical, possibly providing information about the
early stages of Columbia's breakup.
Earlier today, a Russian Progress resupply ship successfully
docked to the International Space Station at 9:49 a.m. EST,
delivering a ton of food, fuel and supplies to Expedition 6
Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and
NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit. The Progress has given
the Station resident crew a "solid" supply of consumables,
enough to sustain operations through at least late June, according
to Kostelnik.
Bowersox, Budarin and Pettit opened the hatches between the
ISS and the Progress this afternoon and will begin unloading
its supplies on Wednesday.
Asked about contingency planning for the Station for the rest
of the year, Kostelnik said all options to sustain a human
presence on board in the temporary absence of Shuttle flights
are being explored. The next Shuttle flight aboard Atlantis
in March was to have brought the Expedition 7 crew to the ISS
and returned to Earth the current resident crew.
Two STS-107 Accident Response briefings will be held on Wednesday,
Feb. 5 and will be broadcast on NASA Television with multi-center
question and answer capability for reporters at NASA centers.
The first briefing is from NASA Headquarters in Washington
at 11:30 a.m. EST. The second with Space Shuttle Program Manager
Ron Dittemore from the Johnson Space Center is at 4:30 p.m.
EST.
Monday, Feb. 3, 2003 - 7:00 p.m. CST
NASA engineers continued to review data and recover debris
from the Space Shuttle Columbia today as the analysis of what
caused the orbiter to break up Saturday en route to landing
continued.
Space Shuttle Program Manager Ron Dittemore told an afternoon
briefing that several teams of engineers are making progress
in their study of data and video from Columbia's launch and
entry, but cautioned that it is a "massive job" requiring
round-the-clock efforts to piece together the events that led
to a loss of communications with the Shuttle over north central
Texas 16 minutes prior to touchdown.
Still, Dittemore said NASA would pause Tuesday for a memorial
ceremony at the Johnson Space Center at 1:00 p.m. EST to honor
the lives and the memory of Columbia's astronauts, Rick Husband,
William McCool, Dave Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Mike Anderson,
Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon. President and Mrs. Bush will join
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe at JSC for the memorial which
is closed to the public, but which will be broadcast on NASA
Television.
Dittemore said the memorial represents an opportunity to take
time to remember the sacrifice of the astronauts, to mourn
them and to "remember our friends."
Dittemore offered additional and refined information regarding
the timeline of events that led to Columbia's breakup on Saturday
(all times CST):
At 7:52 a.m. CST, three-left main gear brake line temperature sensors showed
an unusual rise in the left wheel well area.
At 7:53 a.m., a fourth left brake line strut actuator temperature sensor showed
a 30-40 degree rise in temperature over a five-minute period, slightly higher
than reported yesterday.
At 7:55 a.m., A fifth left brake line main gear sensor showed a sharp rise
in temperature.
At 7:57 a.m., left wing temperature sensors failed "off-scale low",
meaning no further data was being received on the ground.
And at 7:59 a.m., just before communications was lost with Columbia, there
was evidence of drag on the aerosurfaces of the left wing, causing two out of
four yaw steering jets in that area of the Shuttle to fire for 1.5 seconds to
counteract the increased drag.
Dittemore said more time will be needed to retrieve an additional
32 seconds of data acquired by ground computers after communications
was lost with Columbia to see if it is useful to the inquiry.
He said engineers would go directly to the Tracking and Data
Relay Satellite System ground station hub in White Sands, New
Mexico to collect and analyze that data in its pristine form.
Although the investigative teams have a "high interest" in
the left hand wheel well area of Columbia, Dittemore cautioned
that a temperature increase there does not indicate that a
structural problem occurred as a factor in the vehicle's breakup.
In fact, Dittemore said the data suggests that "something
else" may have been happening at the time, not indicative
of a structural breach.
Responding to inquiries regarding a piece of foam insulation
which fell off Columbia's external fuel tank about 80 seconds
after launch that struck the left wing of the Shuttle, Dittemore
said imagery analysis showed that the foam measured about 20
inches by 16 inches by 6 inches and weighed about 2.67 pounds.
He reiterated that engineering analysis conducted during the
flight concluded for NASA managers that although the foam might
have caused some structural damage to the wing area, it would
not have been sufficient to cause a catastrophic event.
"There is some other missing link contributing to this event," Dittemore
said. We are extremely interested in seeing any debris that may have fallen upstream
of the main impact area," referring to any additional debris which might
be recovered in an area to the west of Texas.
Earlier today, former President George H.W. Bush and Mrs. Barbara
Bush visited the International Space Station flight control
room at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX to pay their
respects to the flight controllers and to the Expedition 6
crew aboard the orbital complex.
The former president told Expedition 6 Commander Ken Bowersox,
Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin and NASA ISS Science Officer
Don Pettit that President Bush relayed his "full confidence
in the space program" in a conversation with the elder
Bush Sunday. The former president told the crew the men and
women of NASA were showing "great courage" in the
wake of the accident.
Bowersox, Budarin and Pettit spent the day preparing for the
docking of a Russian Progress resupply vehicle to the ISS Tuesday
at 9:50 a.m. EST. The new cargo ship, which contains a ton
of food, fuel and supplies for the crew, was successfully launched
Sunday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. NASA TV
coverage of the Progress docking to the ISS begins at 9 a.m.
CST Tuesday.
The next STS-107 Accident Response briefing will be held on
Tuesday, Feb. 4 at NASA Headquarters in Washington at 4:30
p.m. EST. Status reports will be issued as developments warrant.
NASA TV is on AMC-2, Transponder 9C, vertical polarization
at 85 degrees west longitude, 3880 MHz, with audio at 6.8 MHz.
Sunday, February 2, 2003 - 8:30 p.m. CST
Aided by federal and local agencies, NASA stepped up its inquiry
into the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia and its seven astronauts.
Multiple investigative teams continue to pore over engineering
data in an effort to uncover the cause of the breakup of the
orbiter over Texas on Saturday 16 minutes from landing.
Space Shuttle Program Manager Ron Dittemore told an afternoon
briefing (Sunday, February 2, 2003) that a Mishap Response
Team is gathering data from numerous engineering teams in the
early stages of the investigation and is receiving assistance
from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National
Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Bureau of Investigation
and local law enforcement agencies, among others.
Dittemore said that as Commander Rick Husband, Pilot William
McCool, Mission Specialists Dave Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Mike
Anderson, Laurel Clark and Israeli Payload Specialist Ilan
Ramon are mourned, the recovery of debris from Columbia and
human remains is being coordinated at Barksdale Air Force Base,
La.
Dittemore thanked residents in the areas where debris fell
after Columbia's breakup for cooperating in the recovery effort
but cautioned them not to handle debris that could contain
toxic substances.
Dittemore reconstructed the final minutes of Columbia's flight
before communications was lost. He reiterated the failure of
four temperature sensors associated with the shuttle's left
hand elevons at 7:53 a.m. CST Saturday amidst a 20-30 degree
rise in left hand bondline and strut temperatures over a five-minute
period near the left wheel well of the orbiter. Columbia was
flying over California at the time at an altitude of about
220,000 feet traveling 21 times the speed of sound.
One minute later, over the region of eastern California and
western Nevada, Columbia's mid-fuselage bondline temperatures
above the left wing experienced an unusual temperature increase.
It rose 60 degrees over a five-minute period. No such temperature
increase was noted on the right side of Columbia or in the
Shuttle's cargo bay. Columbia was about 212,000 feet above
the Earth, flying at Mach 20.
At 7:58 a.m. over New Mexico, telemetry showed a larger than
normal drag on the left side of the shuttle, and an indication
of an increase in pressure in the left main landing gear tires.
Dittemore said the data suggests the tires remained intact.
Columbia's altitude was 209,000 feet.
At 7:59 a.m. over west Texas, the data showed Columbia continuing
to react to an increased drag on its left side, trying to correct
the movement by rolling back to the right. Dittemore said the
response of the orbiter was well within its capability to handle
such maneuvers.
At that time, seconds before 8 a.m. CST, all communications
was lost with Columbia as it flew at an altitude of 207,000
feet, 18 times the speed of sound.
Dittemore indicated that ground computers may contain an additional
32 seconds of data which could provide additional information
in the analysis of Columbia's breakup.
He added that the loss of some foam insulation from Columbia's
external fuel tank, which struck the shuttle's left wing about
80 seconds after launch was "inconsequential" based on video
imagery review conducted by engineering specialists. However,
he said nothing has been ruled out as a possible cause for
the accident.
Robert Cabana, the Director of Flight Crew Operations at the
Johnson Space Center, relayed thanks from the families of the
astronauts for the outpouring of support received from around
the nation and the world.
Cabana said that the Expedition 6 crewmembers aboard the International
Space Station are "grieving" for the loss of Columbia's crew,
but are in good spirits as they continue human spaceflight
and scientific research aboard the orbital outpost. Cabana
said Commander Ken Bowersox, Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin
and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit are preparing for Tuesday's
arrival of a Russian Progress cargo ship. Progress 10 was launched
this morning from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
On Tuesday, Feb. 4, President and Mrs. Bush will join NASA
Administrator Sean O'Keefe at the Johnson Space Center to pay
tribute to Columbia's astronauts during a special memorial
service. The ceremony to honor Columbia's seven crewmembers
is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. EST and will be broadcast on
NASA Television. The service is not open to the public.
The next STS-107 Accident Response briefings are on Monday,
Feb. 3 at NASA Headquarters in Washington at 11:30 a.m. EST
and at the Johnson Space Center at 4:30 p.m. EST. Status reports
will be issued as developments warrant.
NASA TV can be found on AMC-2, Transponder 9C, vertical polarization
at 85 degrees West longitude, 3880 MHz, with audio at 6.8 MHz.
A Statement from the Families of Columbia
On January 16th, we saw our loved ones launch
into a brilliant, cloud-free sky. Their hearts were full of
enthusiasm, pride in country, faith in their God, and a willingness
to accept risk in the pursuit of knowledge --- knowledge that
might improve the quality of life for all mankind. Columbia's
16-day mission of scientific discovery was a great success,
cut short by mere minutes ---- yet it will live on forever
in our memories. We want to thank the NASA family and people
from around the world for their incredible outpouring of love
and support. Although we grieve deeply, as do the families
of Apollo 1 and Challenger before us, the bold exploration
of space must go on. Once the root cause of this tragedy is
found and corrected, the legacy of Columbia must carry on ---
for the benefit of our children and yours.
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