Space shuttle blows up over Texas

[RCastillo]

Originally posted by Seig
Keep putting words into my posts that are not there........
I never said I would rather beat on you, I said we should turn Iraq into a launch pad.

Of course not. Just trying to hold you down, instead of releasing you into the world to create havoc!

 

[Bob Hubbard]

From http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-107/mission-sts-107.html

This is the full specs on the last mission of the Columbia.

STS-107 (113)
Columbia (28)
Pad 39-A (76)
KSC Landing (62) (Planned)
113th Shuttle Mission
Loss of Vehicle and Crew

NOTE: Click Here for Countdown Homepage

Crew:
Rick D. Husband (2), Commander
William C. McCool (1), Pilot
Michael P. Anderson (2), Payload Commander
Kalpana Chawla (2), Mission Specialist
David M. Brown (1), Mission Specialist
Laurel B. Clark (1), Mission Specialist
Ilan Ramon (1), (ISA) Payload Specialist

Milestones:
OPF -- 3/12/02 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 3/12/2002)
VAB -- 11/18/02 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 11/18/2002)
PAD -- 12/09/02 (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 12/09/2002)

Payload:
SpaceHab-DM Research Mission, Freestar

Mission Objectives:
Click here for Additional Info on STS-107

Research Mission, Freestar (MEIDEX,SOLSE-2,CVX-2,SOLCON-3, LPT,SEM,PSRD)


The FREESTAR payload is a Hitchhiker payload through the GSFC Code
870 Shuttle Small Payloads Project. FREESTAR consists of separate
experiments and the Hitchhiker (HH) Carrier (HHC) avionics mounted
on a cross-bay HH Multipurpose Equipment Support Structure
(MPESS). The carrier avionics provides the interface to the
electrical systems, the payload power control, and command and
telemetry capabilities. Examples of some of the experiments that
FREESTAR can carry are MEIDEX, SOLSE-2, CVX-2, SOLCON-3,
LPT, SEM, and PSRD.

Launch:
January 16, 2003 - 10:39 a.m. EDT (15:39 GMT)

On Thursday, 1/16/03, the launch countdown proceeded as scheduled. At 9:18 a.m. EST, a go was given to close the hatch. At 10:10 a.m. EST, the countdown clock exited the planned hold at the T-minus 20 minute mark. At 10:31 a.m. EST, the countdown clock came out of the planned hold at the T-minus 9 minute mark. At 10:35 a.m. EST, a go was given for APU start. Launch occurred at the opening of the launch window.

On Friday, May 24, 2002, in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF), processing continues for Columbia's STS-107 microgravity research mission. Workers installed the SPACEHAB/FREESTAR payload into Columbia's payload bay after managers determined the small scratch on a support attachment was not a concern. Installation of Space Shuttle Main Engines and servicing of Freon Loop No. 1 is in work. (Reference KSC Shuttle Status 5/24/2002)
Previous launch dates were July 11, 2002, April 4, 2002 and before that January 11, 2001.

Orbit:
Altitude: 150 nm
Inclination: 39
Orbits: 255
Duration: 15 days, 22 hours, 20 minutes, 22 seconds.
Distance: miles

Hardware:
SRB:
SRM:
ET :
MLP :
SSME-1: SN-
SSME-2: SN-
SSME-3: SN-

Landing:
KSC February 1, 9:16 a.m. 2003 (Planned)

Deorbit burn occured at 8:15 a.m. EST (1315 GMT) for a planned landing on KSC Runway 33. Shortly after Roll Reversal #1 (8:53 a.m. EST) at MET 15 days 22 hours 17 min 50 seconds while Columbia was traveling at Mach 20.9 and 224,390ft, flight directors saw a loss of sensor data (offscale low) from the hydraulic systems on the left wing. Initial indications were loss of sensor data near the left inboard part of the wing, followed by sensors on the left outboard area of the wing. At 8:59 a.m. there was a loss of sensor data (Tire pressure offscale low) which caused an onboard alert that was acknowledged by the crew. Communication with the crew and loss of data occured shortly after while Columbia was at a Mission Elapsed Time (MET) of 15 days 22 hours 20 minutes 22 seconds. The vehicle broke up while traveling at 12,500 mph (Mach 18.3) at an altitude of 207,135ft over East Central Texas resulting in the loss of both vehicle and crew. (Reference: JSC Ron Dittemore Post flight Technical News Conference 2/1/2003 3:30pm EST).


Mission Highlights:

Visit the page as there is a ton of links to additional information.

:asian:

 

[Bob Hubbard]

From http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/resources/orbiters/columbia.html

Columbia (OV-102)
Background
Columbia, the oldest orbiter in the Shuttle fleet, is named after the Boston, Massachusetts based sloop captained by American Robert Gray. On May 11, 1792, Gray and his crew maneuvered the Columbia past the dangerous sandbar at the mouth of a river extending more than 1,000 miles through what is today south-eastern British Columbia, Canada, and the Washington-Oregon border. The river was later named after the ship. Gray also led Columbia and its crew on the first American circumnavigation of the globe, carrying a cargo of otter skins to Canton, China, and then returning to Boston.
Other sailing ships have further enhanced the luster of the name Columbia. The first U.S. Navy ship to circle the globe bore that title, as did the command module for Apollo 11, the first lunar landing mission.

On a more directly patriotic note, "Columbia" is considered to be the feminine personification of the United States. The name is derived from that of another famous explorer, Christopher Columbus.

The spaceship Columbia has continued the pioneering legacy of its forebears, becoming the first Space Shuttle to fly into Earth orbit in 1981. Four sister ships joined the fleet over the next 10 years: Challenger, arriving in 1982 but destroyed four years later; Discovery, 1983; Atlantis, 1985; and Endeavour, built as a replacement for Challenger, 1991. A test vehicle, the Enterprise, was used for suborbital approach and landing tests and did not fly in space. The names of Columbia's sister ships each boast their own illustrious pedigree.

In the day-to-day world of Shuttle operations and processing, Space Shuttle orbiters go by a more prosaic designation. Columbia is commonly refered to as OV-102, for Orbiter Vehicle-102. Empty Weight was 158,289 lbs at rollout and 178,000 lbs with main engines installed.

Upgrades and Features
Columbia was the first on-line orbiter to undergo the scheduled inspection and retrofit program. It was transported August 10, 1991, after its completion of mission STS-40, to prime Shuttle contractor Rockwell International's Palmdale, California assembly plant. The oldest orbiter in the fleet underwent approximately 50 modifications, including the addition of carbon brakes, drag chute, improved nose wheel steering, removal of development flight instrumentation and an enhancement of its thermal protection system. The orbiter returned to KSC February 9, 1992 to begin processing for mission STS-50 in June of that year.
On October 8, 1994, Columbia was transported to Palmdale California for its first ODMP. Approximately 90 modifications and upgrades were made to Columbia during this 6 month period. Modifications included upgrades to the main landing gear thermal barrier, tire pressure monitoring system and radiator drive circuitry. (Reference KSC Press Release 113-94 and Shuttle Status Report 10/10/94)

On September 24, 1999, Columbia was transported to Palmdale California for its second ODMP. While in California, workers will perform more than 100 modifications on the vehicle. Columbia will be the second orbiter outfitted with the multi-functional electronic display system (MEDS) or "glass cockpit". Last year, Shuttle Atlantis had the full-color, flat-panel displays installed on its flight deck during an OMDP. The new system improves crew interaction with the orbiter during flight and reduces the high cost of maintaining the outdated electromechanical cockpit displays currently onboard. (Reference KSC Press Release 74-99)


Construction Milestones
07/26/72 Contract Award
03/27/75 Start long lead fabrication aft fuselage
11/17/75 Start long-lead fabrication of crew module
06/28/76 Start assembly of crew module
09/13/76 Start structural assembly of aft-fuselage
12/13/76 Start assembly upper forward fuselage
01/03/77 Start assembly vertical stabilizer
08/26/77 Wings arrive at Palmdale from Grumman
10/28/77 Lower forward fuselage on dock, Palmdale
11/07/77 Start of Final Assembly
02/24/78 Body flap on dock, Palmdale
04/28/78 Forward payload bay doors on dock, Palmdale
05/26/78 Upper forward fuselage mate
07/07/78 Complete mate forward and aft payload bay doors
09/11/78 Complete forward RCS
02/03/79 Complete combined systems test, Palmdale
02/16/79 Airlock on dock, Palmdale
03/05/79 Complete postcheckout
03/08/79 Closeout inspection, Final Acceptance Palmdale
03/08/79 Rollout from Palmdale to Dryden (38 miles)
03/12/79 Overland transport from Palmdale to Edwards
03/20/79 SCA Ferry Flight from DFRF to Bigs AFB, Texas
03/22/79 SCA Ferry flight from Bigs AFB to Kelly AFB, Texas
03/24/79 SCA Ferry flight from Kelly AFB to Eglin AFB, Florida
03/24/79 SCA Ferry flight from Eglin, AFB to KSC
11/03/79 Auxiliary Power Unit hot fire tests, OPF KSC
12/16/79 Orbiter integrated test start, KSC
01/14/80 Orbiter integrated test complete, KSC
02/20/81 Flight Readiness Firing
04/12/81 First Flight (STS-1)
Columbia's Flights to date:
01. STS-1 (04/12/81)
02. STS-2 (11/12/81)
03. STS-3 (03/22/82)
04. STS-4 (06/27/82)
05. STS-5 (11/11/82)
06. STS-9 (11/28/83)
07. 61-C (01/12/86)
08. STS-28 (08/08/89)
09. STS-32 (01/09/90)
10. STS-35 (12/02/90)
11. STS-40 (06/05/91)
12. STS-50 (06/25/92)
13. STS-52 (10/22/92)
14. STS-55 (04/26/93)
15. STS-58 (10/18/93)
16. STS-62 (3/4/94)
17. STS-65 (7/8/94)

To OMDP (Palmdale) 10/8/94 (Reference KSC Press Release 113-94)

18. STS-73 (10/20/95)
19. STS-75 (2/22/96)
20. STS-78 (6/20/96)
21. STS-80 (11/19/96)
22. STS-83 (04/04/97)
23. STS-94 (07/01/97)
24. STS-87 (11/19/97)
25. STS-90 (4/13/98)
26. STS-93 (7/23/99)

To OMDP (Palmdale) 9/23/99 (Reference KSC Press Release 74-99)

27. STS-109 (3/1/02)
28. STS-107 (1/16/03 - Crew and Vehicle lost during landing 2/1/03)

There is additional information there on the shuttle program, etc.

:asian:

 

[Bob Hubbard]

Crew:
Rick D. Husband (2), Commander
William C. McCool (1), Pilot
Michael P. Anderson (2), Payload Commander
Kalpana Chawla (2), Mission Specialist
David M. Brown (1), Mission Specialist
Laurel B. Clark (1), Mission Specialist
Ilan Ramon (1), (ISA) Payload Specialist

From : http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-107/mission-sts-107.html

 

[arnisador]

Thanks for collecting all this Kaith, especially the bios.

I don't care about the semantics of whether they were "heroes" or not--they meet my definition--they died in the service of their country and science, and for the very idea of space exploration and what it means to people everywhere.

 

[Bob Hubbard]

I did some fast digging. Nasa has a lot of info out there.

More discussion on other martialarts boards:
http://www.e-budo.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=16915

http://www.budoseek.net/vbulletin/

 

[ace]

:wah:

 

[redfive]

The two sonic booms woke me up last saterday. I went out side and looked around and saw nothing. 5 minutes later my boss called and said that he had watched the shuttle go over, but something was not right. It realy sunk in when I realized what the two booms realy were.
Its still a clear memory of me and all my school friends watching the Challenger take off, during class.
What realy struck me latter, is that they did not die alone, 40 miles above. Thousands of people were viewing them and were all with them in spirit as they went over. It was a very abnormal day weather wise, for Texas, this time a year.There was not a cloud in the sky and it was in the mid 70s. I dont believe that God preplans destiny, but maybe he new that this was going to be the end of one journey and the begining of another.
Reagardless of thought or meaning the crew was not alone satererday morning, and there mission and many others will continue.