NASA commemorates its fallen each year in the week that saw the loss of three of its spacecraft. The Day of Remembrance this year will be observed on February 1, 2013, the tenth anniversary of the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia and the seven members of the STS-107 crew: Rick Husband, William McCool, Michael P. Anderson, David M. Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Laurel [...]
Post Tagged with: “accident”
The Columbia Disaster and Space Program Safety
The sixth issue of Space Safety Magazine is dedicated to one of the most tragic events in human spaceflight: the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia and its crew. As you will learn from the Special Report “Remembering Columbia,” the Shuttle was destroyed upon reentry by a flux of super-heated air coming through a breach in the reinforced carbon-carbon left wing leading edge [...]
A Week of Tragedies: Remembering Challenger
In a coincidence nearly odd enough to make even a rocket scientist wonder about fate, all three of NASA’s multi-astronaut fatalities occurred within a span of six calendar dates. On January 27, we took a look back at the Apollo 1 fire. Today, we remember the loss of Challenger on January 28, 1986. Challenger STS-51-L NASA’s second major tragedy was the disintegration [...]
Preventing a Repeat of Columbia
The disintegration of Space Shuttle Columbia following reentry of STS-107 on February 1, 2003 was a disaster and a tragedy. But it is important to remember that this tragedy did not stand on its own; it followed 17 years after another Shuttle disaster, the explosion of Challenger moments after its launch. Although the direct technical causes of the two accidents [...]
Learning from Columbia
In the lead up to the tenth anniversary of the disintegration of Columbia and loss of all its crew on February 1, Space Safety Magazine spoke with someone who remains intimately connected with Columbia to this day. NASA’s Mike Ciannilli now serves as Project Manager of the Columbia Research and Preservation Office; on February 1, 2003, he was Columbia’s test [...]
Remembering Columbia
February 1st 2013 will be the 10th anniversary of one of the most significant events in the history of human spaceflight: the Columbia accident. This anniversary is a poignant reminder of the costs of neglecting space safety. The loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia and its entire STS-107 crew is one of the most catastrophic events in the modern space [...]
US Congress Weighs In On Astronaut Memento Ownership
Several months after NASA challenged ownership of Apollo astronaut mementos being sold at auction, the US legislature has weighed in on the side of the astronauts. On September 19, the House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill assigning ownership of such artifacts to the Apollo-era astronauts who flew with them. “This bill seeks to eliminate any further ambiguity about Apollo-era artifacts [...]
Investigation into Failed Proton Complete
On September 11, the Failure Review Oversight Board completed its investigation of the August 6 failure of a Proton-M Breeze-M upper stage. The board confirmed the root cause of the accident as a manufacturing defect and approved manufacturer Khrunichev’s corrective action plan. ”This is an opportunity to learn, enhance and improve the overall reliability and processes of our systems,” said acting ILS Vice President [...]
Reviewing the Columbia Accident
In 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated mid-air after damaged heat shield tiles failed to protect the craft during reentry. In a cartoon-style that needs no translation, this Voice of Russia video replays the critical events that led to that tragedy and the loss of seven astronauts. Staff WritersMore Posts
Breeze-M Failure Yields Space Debris
The failure of a Proton-M upper stage Breeze-M on August 6 that placed two satellites in an incorrect orbit will likely remain in orbit for up to five months. US Strategic Command (STRATCOM) has tracked four objects in nearly identical orbits traced to the failed launch. Rianovosti sources are identifying these objects as the Breeze-M booster, a fuel tank, and TelKom-3 [...]
