Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster - A

NASA Tragedy
From Nick Greene,
Your Guide to Space / Astronomy.
http://space.about.com/cs/challenger/a/challenger.htm
Part 1: The Launch and isaster
!t "as a NASA tra#edy.
NASA$s Shutt%e pro#ram "as &e#un in the 1'()s, to create reusa&%e cra*t *or transportin#
car#o into space. Pre+ious space cra*t cou%d on%y &e used once, then "ere discarded. The
*irst shutt%e, ,o%um&ia "as %aunched in 1'-1. .ne year %ater, the ,ha%%en#er ro%%ed o** the
assem&%y %ine as the second shutt%e o* the /S *%eet. They "ere *o%%o"ed &y isco+ery in
1'-0 and At%antis in 1'-1.
The ,ha%%en#er *%e" nine success*u% missions &e*ore that *ate*u% day o* the disaster in
1'-2.
Shutt%e mission 11L "as much %ike most other missions.
The ,ha%%en#er "as schedu%ed to carry some car#o, the Trackin# ata 3e%ay Sate%%ite45
6T3S457, as "e%% as *%y the Shutt%e4Pointed Too% *or Astronomy 6SPA3TAN4
5)07/8a%%ey$s ,omet 9:periment ep%oya&%e, a *ree4*%yin# modu%e desi#ned to o&ser+e
tai% and coma o* 8a%%eys comet "ith t"o u%tra+io%et spectrometers and t"o cameras.
.ne thin# made this mission uni;ue. !t "as schedu%ed to &e the *irst *%i#ht o* a ne"
pro#ram ca%%ed T!SP, the Teacher !n Space Pro#ram. The ,ha%%en#er "as schedu%ed to
carry Sharon ,hrista <cAu%i**e, the *irst teacher to *%y in space.
Se%ected *rom amon# more than 11,))) app%icants *rom the education pro*ession *or
entrance into the astronaut ranks, <cAu%i**e "as +ery e:cited a&out the opportunity to
participate in the space pro#ram. =! "atched the Space A#e &ein# &orn and ! "ou%d %ike to
participate.=
>esides <cAu%i**e, the ,ha%%en#er cre" consisted o* mission commander Francis 3.
Sco&ee? pi%ot <ichae% @. Smith? mission specia%ists 3ona%d 9. <cNair, 9%%ison S.
.niAuka, and @udith A. 3esnik? and pay%oad specia%ists Gre#ory >. @ar+is. ,hrista "as
a%so %isted as a pay%oad specia%ist.
From the &e#innin#, thou#h, Shutt%e <ission STS411L "as p%a#ued &y pro&%ems. Li*to**
"as inita%%y schedu%ed *rom at 0:B0 p.m. 9ST on @anuary 55, 1'-2. !t s%ipped to @an. 50,
then @an. 5B, due to de%ays in mission 214, and *ina%%y reset *or @an. 51 &ecause o* &ad
"eather at transoceanic a&ort %andin# 6TAL7 site in akar, Sene#a%. The %aunch "as a#ain
postponed *or one day "hen %aunch processin# "as una&%e to meet ne" mornin# %i*to**
time. Predicted &ad "eather at Cennedy Space ,enter 6CS,7 caused the %aunch to &e
reschedu%ed *or ':0( a.m. 9ST, @an. 5(, &ut it "as de%ayed another 5B hours "hen #round
ser+icin# e;uipment hatch c%osin# *i:ture cou%d not &e remo+ed *rom or&iter hatch.
The *i:ture "as sa"ed o** and an attachin# &o%t dri%%ed out &e*ore c%oseout comp%eted.
urin# this de%ay, the cross "inds e:ceeded %imits at CS,$s Shutt%e Landin# Faci%ity.
There as a *ina% de%ay o* t"o hours "hen a hard"are inter*ace modu%e in the %aunch
processin# system, "hich monitors *ire detection system, *ai%ed durin# %i;uid hydro#en
tankin# procedures. The ,ha%%en#er *ina%%y %i*ted o** at 11:0-:)) a.m. 9ST.
Se+enty three seconds into the mission, the ,ha%%en#er e:p%oded, ki%%in# the entire cre".
The reaction "as immediate, *rom the cro"ds o* *ami%y and *riends #athered to "atch the
%aunch o* the Space Shutt%e ,ha%%en#er, to the mi%%ions tuned in "or%d"ide, most peop%e
"ere stunned. !n a speech %ater that day, President 3ona%d 3ea#an e:pressed the *ee%in#s
o* many "ho "ere #rie+in#.
=Today is a day *or mournin# and remem&erin#,= he said. =Nancy and ! are pained to the
core o+er the tra#edy o* the shutt%e ,ha%%en#er. De kno" "e share this pain "ith a%% o*
the peop%e o* our country.
This is tru%y a nationa% %oss. Nineteen years a#o, a%most to the day, "e %ost three
astronauts in a terri&%e accident on the #round. >ut "e$+e ne+er %ost an astronaut in *%i#ht.
De$+e ne+er had a tra#edy %ike this. And, perhaps, "e$+e *or#otten the coura#e it took *or
the cre" o* the shutt%e. >ut the ,ha%%en#er Se+en "ere a"are o* the dan#ers and
o+ercame them and did their Eo& &ri%%iant%y. De mourn se+en heroes.=
A*ter"ards, a specia% commission to in+esti#ate the cause o* the Space Shutt%e
,ha%%en#er accident "as appointed &y President 3ea#an. 8eaded &y *ormer secretary o*
state Di%%iam 3o#ers the commission inc%uded *ormer astronaut Nei% Armstron# and
*ormer test pi%ot ,huck Yea#er.
The commission$s report cited the cause o* the disaster as a the *ai%ure o* an F.4rin#G sea%
in the so%id4*ue% rocket on the Space Shutt%e ,ha%%en#er$s ri#ht side. The *au%ty desi#n o*
the sea% coup%ed "ith the unusua%%y co%d "eather, %et hot #ases to %eak throu#h the Eoint.
>ooster rocket *%ames "ere a&%e to pass throu#h the *ai%ed sea% en%ar#in# the sma%% ho%e.
These *%ames then &urned throu#h the Space Shutt%e ,ha%%en#er$s e:terna% *ue% tank and
throu#h one o* the supports that attached the &ooster to the side o* the tank. That &ooster
&roke %oose and co%%ided "ith the tank, piercin# the tank$s side. Li;uid hydro#en and
%i;uid o:y#en *ue%s *rom the tank and &ooster mi:ed and i#nited, causin# the Space
Shutt%e ,ha%%en#er to tear apart.
The commission not on%y *ound *au%t "ith a *ai%ed sea%ant rin# &ut a%so "ith the o**icia%s
at the Nationa% Aeronautics and Space Administration 6NASA7 "ho a%%o"ed the shutt%e
%aunch to take p%ace despite concerns +oiced &y NASA en#ineers.
The entire space shutt%e pro#ram "as #rounded durin# the Space Shutt%e ,ha%%en#er
,ommission$s in+esti#ation and did not resume *%yin# unti% shutt%e desi#ners made
se+era% technica% modi*ications and NASA mana#ement imp%emented stricter re#u%ations
re#ardin# ;ua%ity contro% and sa*ety. Shutt%e missions resumed on Septem&er 5-, 1'--,
"ith the *%i#ht o* the shutt%e isco+ery.
!n 1''1, the shutt%e 9ndea+our Eoined the *%eet to rep%ace the ,ha%%en#er, a#ain &rin#in#
the num&er o* ships to *our.
.+er the ne:t *e" months and years, the *ami%y mem&ers o* the cre" o* shutt%e
,ha%%en#er *%i#ht 11L dea%t "ith their #rie*. Dith the support o* *ami%y and *riends, as
"e%% as peop%e "or%d"ide "ho Eoined in the #rie+in# process, they %i+ed day to day, and
thou#h they "i%% ne+er *or#et, they mana#ed to continue "ith their %i+es.
As a tri&ute to the memories o* their %o+ed ones, the *ami%ies he%ped *orm the ,ha%%en#er
.r#aniAation, "hich pro+ide resources *or students, teachers, and parents *or educationa%
purposes.
!nc%uded in these resources are B5 Learnin# ,enters in 52 states, ,anada, and the /C
"hich o**er a t"o4room simu%ator, consistin# o* a space station, comp%ete "ith
communications, medica%, %i*e, and computer science e;uipment, and a mission contro%
room patterned a*ter NASA$s @ohnson Space ,enter and a space %a& ready *or
e:p%oration.
For many, the ,ha%%en#er disaster "as a kind o* %i*e4a%terin# e+ent, as the assassination o*
President Cennedy "as *or an o%der #eneration. <any o* us "i%% a%"ays remem&er "here
"e "ere and "hat "e "ere doin# "hen "e "itnessed or heard a&out the e:p%osion. <ost
o* us consider the %ost cre"mem&ers to &e heroes.
The e+enin# o* the e:p%osion, President 3ea#an said it "e%%, =The cre" o* the space
shutt%e ,ha%%en#er honored us in the "ay in "hich they %i+ed their %i+es. De$%% ne+er
*or#et them nor the %ast time "e sa" them this mornin# as they prepared *or their Eourney
and "a+ed #ood&ye and s%ipped the sur%y &ounds o* 9arth and touched the *ace o* God.=
Part 4 - The Challenger Center
So, what is the Challenger Center?
=,ha%%en#er ,enter is an internationa%, not4*or4pro*it education or#aniAation that "as
*ounded &y the *ami%ies o* the astronauts *rom ,ha%%en#er Space Shutt%e mission 114L.=
How does the Challenger Center work?
=,ha%%en#er ,enter *or Space Science 9ducation uses studentsH natura% enthusiasm *or
space to create inno+ati+e %earnin# e:periences *or ima#inati+e youn# minds. >y
trans*ormin# the "ay teachers teach and students %earn, ,ha%%en#er ,enter is creatin# a
ne" #eneration o* e:p%orers.=
Where can I find a Challenger Learning Center?
=There are more than 1) ,ha%%en#er Learnin# ,enters Throu#hout the /nited States,
,anada and Great >ritain "ith more openin# e+ery year.=
Learn more a&out the ,ha%%en#er ,enter at their "e&site.
I Juotes are *rom the ,ha%%en#er ,enter "e&site.