Columbia, final voyage: the last flight of NASA's first space shuttle

465 Pages·2006·9.53 MB·English

by  Philip Chien

COLUMBIA
F I N A L V O Y A G E
THE LAST FLIGHT OF NASA’S FIRST SPACE SHUTTLE
P H I L I P C H I E N
COPERNICUS BOOKS
An Imprint of Springer Science+Business Media
in Association with
PRAXIS PUBLISHING, LTD.
© 2006 Praxis Publishing Ltd.
All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval
system,or transmitted,in any form or by any means,electronic,mechanical,photocopy-
ing,recording,or otherwise,without the prior written permission of the publisher.
All photos are courtesy of NASA and the Columbia Accident Investigation Board
(CAIB) unless otherwise noted.
Published in the United States by Copernicus Books,
an imprint of Springer Science+Business Media.
Copernicus Books
Springer Science+Business Media
233 Spring Street
New York,NY 10013
www.springer.com
Additional information is available at the author’s website—http://www.sts107.info
Library of Congress Control Number:
2005932843
Manufactured in the United States of America.
Printed on acid-free paper.
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
ISBN-10: 0-387-27148-1 e-ISBN 0-387-27149-X
ISBN-13: 978-0387-27148-4
FOREWORD
J O N A T H A N B . C L A R K
Columbia—Final Voyage is the most comprehensive book about the
final mission of Columbia STS-107 to date. I have known the author,
Phil Chien, since I started working shuttle missions as a flight surgeon
in 1998. He was always there asking the shuttle crew questions when
they were at the Cape for their Terminal Count Down Tests and press
conferences just prior to launch. I was always impressed with his very
insightful questions and deep grasp of technical issues. As I have come
to know him more, I am profoundly impressed with his encyclopedic
knowledge of human spaceflight. I can think of no more dedicated
journalist to write this book. He had come to know the STS-107 crew
very well in the long period prior to launch. He was one of a handful of
journalists who was at the Shuttle Landing Facility at Kennedy Space
Center on February 1, 2003, and like all of us felt the visceral emotion
as the clock ticked down to landing time and then started counting up.
This book has captured the essence of human spaceflight and the intri-
cacies of space shuttle operations. A companion CD-ROM [available
for purchase separately] will provide additional historical references for
countless space aficionados, including myself.
Phil has been able to explain the myriad of science experiments on
this flight so that even I can understand them. The book also presents a
very well documented analysis of the Columbia Accident Investigation
Board. The author has also crafted the story behind the story concern-
ing how politics is intertwined with NASA. More importantly, he has
captured the essence of the human spirit—of the crew, the families and
friends, and the people who really make it happen behind the scenes,
in training, science support, and launch and Mission Control. As we all
come to deal with the aftermath of the triumph and tragedy of
Columbia’s final flight, this wonderful book will serve as a guidebook
for us to learn from the past and enable the future.
iii
INTRODUCTION
B U Z Z A L D R I N
About 400 people have had the opportunity to fly in space over the past
45 years. Only a few are famous or household names—primarily the
ones who have flown on historic missions, and the ones who died. It’s
regrettable that we remember the Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia
crews primarily because of their deaths. In contrast, most astronauts
remain relatively anonymous people. In this book Philip Chien takes a
passionate look at the people who flew on Columbia’s last mission. Not
just as astronauts—but as people. Most reporters considered STS-107 to
be a “boring non-newsworthy mission.” But Philip Chien went to the
effort to get to know the astronauts and their mission in detail because
they were important as human beings and their mission was important
even if it wasn’t as historic as some other flights.
Rick, Willie, Dave, Kalpana, Laurel, Mike, and Ilan were a varied
group of people—they included military pilots, like the early astronauts,
but also medical doctors and engineers.
In 1969, Neil, Mike, and I flew to the moon in a ship named
“Columbia.” Eleven years after our mission, another ship named
Columbia launched from the very same launch pad. But it was drasti-
cally different. Instead of just space for three people in a small living
space, the Columbia space shuttle was massive—with room to carry
many more people and lots of cargo. And a varied cargo it did carry—
commercial satellites, military payloads, scientific satellites, and plenty
th
of scientific laboratories. On Columbia’s 28 and last mission it was car-
rying one of these scientific laboratories—filled to the brim with science
which could only be performed in space. Many shuttle critics have
claimed that it was a “make work” mission that didn’t have to be flown.
But judge for yourself after reading this book’s chapters about each of
the experiments. STS-107 certainly wasn’t as historic as going to the
moon or building a space station, but it was important in the long run—
extending our knowledge about what we can do in space and even
extending the capabilities of scientific laboratories on Earth.
This book will tell you about the real people who flew on STS-107
and their mission.
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CONTENTS
Foreword by Jonathan B. Clark iii
Introduction by Buzz Aldrin iv
Preface vii
Chapter 1 A Modest Mission 1
PART I MISSION MAKERS 10
Chapter 2 Rick Husband: The Boy from Amarillo 12
Chapter 3 Willie McCool: Running Man 32
Chapter 4 Dave Brown: Pilot, Doctor, Gymnast 40
Chapter 5 Kalpana Chawla: The Girl from India 49
Chapter 6 Mike Anderson: The Kid Who Wanted to Fly 59
Chapter 7 Laurel Clark: Submarine Doctor, Mother 69
Chapter 8 Ilan Ramon: Israel’s First Space Traveler 77
Chapter 9 Dodging Bullets: The Astronauts
Who Weren’t Selected 87
Chapter 10 It Isn’t Just the Astronauts 94
PART II THE LONG ROAD TO LAUNCH 110
Chapter 11 A NASA Primer 112
Chapter 12 The Eighteen Delays 127
Chapter 13 Training for the Mission 136
Chapter 14 Presenting NASA to the World 152
Chapter 15 Prequel: STS-112 and STS-113 160
Chapter 16 Preparing for Launch 167
Chapter 17 Launch Day 181
Chapter 18 Behind the Scenes 195
Chapter 19 Living in Space 215
PART III SIXTEEN DAYS IN SPACE 226
Chapter 20 Flight Day 2: MEIDEX, Phab4,
ARMS, Ascent Video 228
Chapter 21 Flight Day 3: Calcium Kinetics, Press Interviews 238
Chapter 22 Flight Day 4: LSP, Spacehab Problems 241
Chapter 23 Flight Day 5: VCD, MPFE 248
Chapter 24 Flight Day 6: Ariel Sharon Call, Internet Questions 252
Chapter 25 Flight Day 7: MGM, Astroculture 254
Chapter 26 Flight Day 8: SOFBALL, CIBX 257
Chapter 27 Flight Day 9: S*T*A*R*S, FREESTAR 263
Chapter 28 Flight Day 10: BDS, BRIC, OSTEO 271
Chapter 29 Flight Day 11: ZCG, Biopack 274
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vi CONTENTS
Chapter 30 Flight Day 12: Ship-to-Ship Call, FRESH 279
Chapter 31 Flight Day 13: Mist, Biotube, Challenger Anniversary 284
Chapter 32 Flight Day 14: Press Conference 291
Chapter 33 Flight Day 15: MEIDEX, External Spacehab Payloads 300
Chapter 34 Flight Day 16: Automated Payloads,
Preparing to Come Home 306
PART IV FEBRUARY 1,2003 310
Chapter 35 Reentry 312
Chapter 36 The Accident 317
Chapter 37 Mission Control on Landing Day 325
Chapter 38 What Should Have Happened 331
Chapter 39 The Media’s Coverage of STS-107 338
Chapter 40 The First Hours After the Accident 345
Chapter 41 Viewing Columbia’s Reentry 350
Chapter 42 Where Were You...? 357
Chapter 43 The Public’s Reaction 365
PART V AFTERMATH 370
Chapter 44 The Search for Debris 372
Chapter 45 Other Evidence 383
Chapter 46 Completing the Investigation 390
Chapter 47 Kooks and Myths 399
Chapter 48 Was a Rescue Possible? 408
Chapter 49 Memorials 412
Chapter 50 Legacy: The Science Not Lost 419
Afterword 428
Appendixes—
A: Charities 433
B: Companion CD-ROM 434
C: Emails with Columbia 436
D: The STS-107 Crew Logo 440
E: The 18 Delays to STS-107 441
F: Special Thanks 442
G: Bibliography 444
H: Glossary 445
Index 449
PREFACE
February 1, 2003—Space Shuttle Columbia was on its 28th mission, com-
pleting a routine microgravity science mission. Like over 100 shuttle mis-
sions before, it fired its engines to reduce its speed enough to drop out of
orbit and reenter the Earth’s atmosphere. But unlike every other time a shut-
tle returned from space, Columbia didn’t make it. Instead of the signature
twin sonic booms normally heard a couple of minutes before landing, there
was only an eerie silence. In east Texas people saw Columbia come apart
and saw its pieces fall out of the sky. A relatively plain spaceflight had sud-
denly become major international news.
Every shuttle flight is important, but certainly some are more glam-
orous than others. The STS-107 mission was not an extraordinary shut-
tle flight—while there were some minor “firsts,” it was basically anoth-
er flight for fundamental scientific research. In no way was STS-107 a
“historic” mission—it didn’t accomplish the first servicing of a satellite
in orbit, make the first docking with a Russian space station, assemble
the first components of the International Space Station, or even collect
radar mapping data of the entire world. Had Columbia landed safely, it
would be just one of 112 shuttle flights that accomplished its goals and
returned excellent results for its scientists (the only exception being the
Challenger accident). But because the shuttle was destroyed and the
seven-person crew perished, STS-107 entered the history books.
What caused the Columbia accident is simple—a 1.67 pound
chunk of foam fell off of the External Tank 81 seconds after launch. The
foam hit the front of the left wing, and as it descended into the atmos-
phere, the hot reentry gasses flowed into the damaged wing, leading to
Columbia’s destruction. Why the foam fell is a book in itself—the com-
promises in the original space shuttle design, how the engineers decid-
ed to use foam as an insulator, and how NASA treated the issue of
falling foam throughout the shuttle program. But this book is not about
the accident, it’s about the STS-107 astronauts and their mission.
There are some amazing stories about the Columbia mission, both
happy and sad. Astonishingly, tiny worms survived the accident and contin-
ued to grow after their canister hit the ground. Even more amazing, off-the-
shelf electronics boxes continued to record data for a couple of weeks after
the accident, until their batteries ran down. Even if you’ve followed the
space program extremely closely you’ll discover in this book fascinating
things about Columbia’s STS-107 mission and her crew.
Many people ask why am I including information on the negative
things in the lives of Columbia’s astronauts—their human failings. I’ve
been asked, “What good does it serve to dredge up those old feelings
again?” or “Isn’t it tacky to say bad things about a person who died as a
hero?” To those people I’ve said it’s good because it’s the truth. The seven
Columbia astronauts were incredibly well-trained people, but they were
vii
viii PREFACE
not perfect. They were humans. When they were alive, they always
acknowledged their limitations and mistakes, and I will not dishonor them
by pretending they were perfect heroes. This is their real story, not a sani-
tized version written by a publicity person. If you want to know the birth-
dates of the Columbia astronauts or their various awards, then read their
NASA bios, which are included on this book’s website and CD-ROM. If
you want to find out about seven real and fascinating people and every-
thing they accomplished on their flight, then read this book.
The seven Columbia astronauts were not the superheroes, saints, or
patriarchs memorialized in eulogies, and they were not all the same. Some
were religious, some were not. Some wanted to become astronauts from the
time they were young kids, others only decided to try to become astronauts
when they became adults. They had different interests and long-term goals.
They were seven very talented but otherwise ordinary individuals who were
trained to do an extraordinary task—to fly in space. This book is their story
and the story of Columbia’s last mission.
A few days before the end of the mission, I had the opportunity to
talk to Columbia’s astronauts in space. It wasn’t just a plain, dry inter-
view. I was talking to people I knew, and it was a pleasure to see the
smiles on their faces when they heard many of my questions. Three days
later when the accident occurred, I felt like I had lost seven friends.
Philip Chien
Merritt Island, Florida
August 2005
NOTES
All times are Eastern Time (standard or daylight) unless otherwise spec-
ified. NASA still hasn’t gone metric, so English units have been used for
most measurements, with the exception of cases where metric units are
the overriding convention (e.g., 35-mm. film). Miles are statute miles
(5280 feet) unless specified as nautical miles (6080 feet).
NASA is an extremely acronym-intensive organization, and in many
cases acronyms are made out of other acronyms! Whenever possible I’ve
spelled them out, even when only the acronym is normally used. When
they’re pronounced as words, it’s noted the first time the acronym is used.
Chapter 11, “A NASA Primer,” is recommended for first reading if
you’re unfamiliar with NASA terminology and organization, but hope-
fully still useful even if you’re familiar with the space program.
The website http://www.sts107.info includes updated information,
photos, audio and video clips, and technical documents. The compan-
ion CD-ROM [available for purchase separately], with over 1,000 photos
and multimedia items, can be ordered from the author’s website or with
the form in Appendix B.
This book is dedicated to the STS-107 Columbia crew—
Rick Husband
Willie McCool
Dave Brown
Kalpana Chawla
Mike Anderson
Laurel Clark
Ilan Ramon
—and their families.
ex orba siencia
—from orbit, knowledge