A7 Feature Space Shuttle Columbia Crew
February
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Continued from A6 >>
The Avion
The space shuttle Columbia was launched successfully on Jan. 16, 2003 on it’s 28th mission, STS-107, to conduct a multitude of inter-
national scientific investigations on orbit. Upon completion of the mission the shuttle reentered the Earth’s atmosphere on a trajectory to land at the shuttle runway at Kennedy Space Center
in Cape Canaveral, Florida. However, during reentry above Texas and Louisiana the Columbia disintegrated, killing all seven crewmembers onboard. Review of the accident concluded that a
suitcase sized piece of foam insulation broke off the shuttle’s external tank about 82 seconds after launch and impacted Columbia’s left wing likely creating a six to ten inch diameter hole in the
wing. This hole allowed hot gases to enter the wing structure during reentry, which slowly ripped the shuttle into pieces. The foam piece that did the damage was spotted in review of the launch tapes
The mission commander of the last Columbia mission was Commander Rick D. Husband, U.S. Navy, a native of Amarillo, Texas. He received his B.S
in mechanical engineering from Texas Tech University in 1980, followed by his M.S. in the same field from California State University in 1990. Husband learned
to fly at 18 and eventually became an Air Force test pilot. He was selected to join the NASA space program in 1994, where he would go on to pilot the space shuttle
Discovery in 1999 to the first docking at the International Space Station in preparation for the first resident crew. After this successful flight he served as the Chief
of Safety for the Astronaut Office before becoming the mission commander for the fatal Columbia mission. He is survived by his wife and their two children.
Photo Courtesy: NASA Commander William McCool, U.S. Navy
Colonel Ilan Ramon, Israeli Air Force, a native of Tel Aviv, Israel, was a payload specialist on Columbia and is the first Israeli Astronaut. After
A native of Lubbock, Texas, Commander William McCool, U.S. Navy, was the pilot of Columbia on that tragic day. He graduated from the U.S.
Naval Academy with a B.S. in applied science in 1983, followed by a M.S. in computer science in 1985 from the University of Maryland and a M.S. in
aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1992. After graduating McCool would go on to be a Navy test pilot, logging more
than 2,800 hours in 24 different aircraft and making over 400 successful aircraft carrier landings. McCool was chosen in 1996 to join NASA and
high school Ramon joined the Israeli Air Force where he fought in two wars in 1973 and 1982. After returning from war he attended the University of
Tel Aviv, where he received a B.S. in electronics and computer engineering in 1987. He became a colonel in the air force and would later be accept-
ed into NASA’s astronaut program, where he would eventually become the first Israeli citizen to enter space. Ramon is the only foreign recipient of a
United States Congressional Space Medal of Honor, which he posthumously received. He is survived by his wife, Rona, and their four children.
only two days after launch; however, the extent of the damage could not be determined and was expected to be minimal due to inaccurate assumptions of the strength of the wings construction.
Photo Courtesy: NASA Commander Rick D. Husband, U.S. Navy
be trained as a shuttle pilot. This catastrophic flight was his first shuttle assignment. McCool is survived by his wife and three children.
Photo Courtesy: NASA Colonel Ilan Ramon, Israeli Air Force
Photo Courtesy: NASA Lt. Colonel Michael P. Anderson, U.S. Air Force
Native of the Punjab region of northern India, Kalpana Chawla, served as a mission specialist on Columbia’s final mission. She received a B.S. in aeronautical engineer-
The payload commander of that fateful mission was Lt. Colonel Michael P. Anderson, U.S. Air Force, a native of Plattsburg, New York. Anderson received
his B.S. in physics and astronomy in 1981 from the University of Washington and a M.S. in physics from Creighton University in 1990. After college
Anderson became a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force, where he logged more than 3,000 hours as a pilot. In 1994 he was selected by NASA to become an
astronaut. Anderson served as the payload commander on a 1998 mission with the space shuttle Endeavor to resupply the Mir space station. During the fatal
ing in 1982 from Punjab Engineering College in India and then moved to the United States to further her education. She proceeded to attend the University of Texas where
she received a M.S. in aerospace engineering in 1984 followed by a Ph.D. in the same field from the University of Colorado in 1988. Chawla joined NASA in 1995 after gain-
ing her U.S. citizenship and she would proceed to become the first Indian-American woman in space on an earlier mission aboard Columbia in 1997 where she was responsi-
ble for operating the shuttle’s robotic arm. For her second and final mission aboard Columbia she conducted numerous science experiments. She is survived by her husband.
Arlington, Virginia native Captain David M. Brown, U.S. Navy, was serving as a mission specialist aboard Columbia.
Brown received his B.S. in biology from the College of William and Mary in 1978, followed by his M.D. in 1982 from Eastern
Virginia Medical School. After school he joined the Navy as a flight surgeon. He was later selected for pilot training, becoming the first
Naval physician in ten years to enter the program and in 1990 he became a naval aviator, ranking first in his class. Brown was selected
cialist. Clark received a B.S. in zoology in 1983 and an M.D. in 1987 from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. During her time with
the Navy, Clark served as a radiation health officer, an undersea medical officer, a diving medical officer and a submarine medical officer.
She was selected in 1996 to join the NASA space program. On her sole mission aboard Columbia she was responsible for conducting
a variety of medical experiments, including the effects of gravity on the heart and lungs. Clark is survived by her husband and a child.
unmanned. The space shuttle program continued successfully until it was officially ended on Aug. 31, 2011. Over more than 30 years the space shuttle program conducted an amazing 135 missions with a total of 833 crewmembers aboard the
shuttles. Of these 833, 14 men and women tragically lost their lives in the two most catastrophic spacecraft disasters in history. All 14 individuals posthumously received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 2004 by George W. Bush. The memory of
Columbia mission he was responsible for carrying out more than 100 science experiments. Anderson is survived by his wife and two daughters.
Photo Courtesy: NASA Kalpana Chawla
in 1966 to join the ranks of NASA astronauts. While aboard Columbia he conducted a myriad of biological experiments.
Photo Courtesy: NASA Captain David M. Brown, U.S. Navy
The final crew member was Commander Laurel Blair Salton Clark, U.S. Navy, a native of Racine, Wisconsin who served as a mission spe-
Results of the Columbia Disaster Following the Columbia disaster NASA grounded the space shuttle fleet for 29 months while a review was conducted and all the shuttles received various modifications to improve safety. Some notable changes made include improvements to crew restraints, effective
ways to deal with catastrophic cabin depressurization and an automated parachute system. NASA also developed a variety of strategies for repairing a damaged shuttle on orbit before reentry and possible ways of rescuing crews from a damaged shuttle by sending up
another shuttle and spacewalking between them. A Remote Control Orbiter system was also developed to allow NASA to control a space shuttle remotely control from the ground in the event that something happened to the crew or a shuttle simply needed to be used
Photo Courtesy: NASA Commander Laurel Blair Salton Clark, U.S. Navy
these 14 heroes will continue to remind current and future spacecraft engineers, operators and astronauts of the incredible risks of space travel and the reasons why every aspect of a spacecraft needs to be designed and operated with safety in mind.