Download or read book Bringing Columbia Home written by Michael D. Leinbach and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2018-01-23 with total page 454 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Voted the Best Space Book of 2018 by the Space Hipsters The dramatic inside story of the epic search and recovery operation after the Columbia space shuttle disaster. On February 1, 2003, Columbia disintegrated on reentry before the nation’s eyes, and all seven astronauts aboard were lost. Author Mike Leinbach, Launch Director of the space shuttle program at NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center was a key leader in the search and recovery effort as NASA, FEMA, the FBI, the US Forest Service, and dozens more federal, state, and local agencies combed an area of rural east Texas the size of Rhode Island for every piece of the shuttle and her crew they could find. Assisted by hundreds of volunteers, it would become the largest ground search operation in US history. This comprehensive account is told in four parts: Parallel Confusion Courage, Compassion, and Commitment Picking Up the Pieces A Bittersweet Victory For the first time, here is the definitive inside story of the Columbia disaster and recovery and the inspiring message it ultimately holds. In the aftermath of tragedy, people and communities came together to help bring home the remains of the crew and nearly 40 percent of shuttle, an effort that was instrumental in piecing together what happened so the shuttle program could return to flight and complete the International Space Station. Bringing Columbia Home shares the deeply personal stories that emerged as NASA employees looked for lost colleagues and searchers overcame immense physical, logistical, and emotional challenges and worked together to accomplish the impossible. Featuring a foreword and epilogue by astronauts Robert Crippen and Eileen Collins, and dedicated to the astronauts and recovery search persons who lost their lives, this is an incredible, compelling narrative about the best of humanity in the darkest of times and about how a failure at the pinnacle of human achievement became a story of cooperation and hope.
Download or read book Columbia Accident Investigation Board Report written by United States. Columbia Accident Investigation Board and published by U.S. Independent Agencies and Commission. This book was released on 2003 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: CD-ROM accompanying vol. 1 contains text of vol. 1 in PDF files and six related motion picture files in Quicktime format.
Download or read book Comm Check written by Michael Cabbage and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2009-12-01 with total page 358 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On February 1, 2003, the unthinkable happened. The space shuttle Columbia disintegrated 37 miles above Texas, seven brave astronauts were killed and America's space program, always an eyeblink from disaster, suffered its second catastrophic in-flight failure. Unlike the Challenger disaster 17 years earlier, Columbia's destruction left the nation one failure away from the potential abandonment of human space exploration. Media coverage in the immediate aftermath focused on the possible cause of the disaster, and on the nation's grief. But the full human story, and the shocking details of NASA's crucial mistakes, have never been told -- until now. Based on dozens of exclusive interviews, never-before-published documents and recordings of key meetings obtained by the authors, Comm Check takes the reader inside the conference rooms and offices where NASA's best and brightest managed the nation's multi-billion-dollar shuttle program -- and where they failed to recognize the signs of an impending disaster. It is the story of a space program pushed to the brink of failure by relentless political pressure, shrinking budgets and flawed decision making. The independent investigation into the disaster uncovered why Columbia broke apart in the sky above Texas. Comm Check brings that story to life with the human drama behind the tragedy. Michael Cabbage and William Harwood, two of America's most respected space journalists, are veterans of all but a handful of NASA's 113 shuttle missions. Tapping a network of sources and bringing a combined three decades of experience to bear, the authors provide a rare glimpse into NASA's inner circles, chronicling the agency's most devastating failure and the challenges that face NASA as it struggles to return America to space.
Download or read book Sixteen Minutes from Home written by Mark Cantrell and published by AMI Books. This book was released on 2003-03 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The Columbia is lost. There were no survivors." With these chilling words, President George W. Bush announced to the nation what many had already seen with their own eyes: The breakup of the Columbia Space Shuttle in the clear blue skies over Texas, just sixteen minutes from landing.
Download or read book Space Shuttle Columbia written by Ben Evans and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2005 with total page 516 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Space Shuttle Columbia is the first book to tell the story of the most successful spacecraft ever developed. The world's first truly reusable spacecraft entered service in 1981, and completed 28 missions before the devastating event of 1 February 2003 when Columbia and her seven-person crew were lost during her return to Earth. Containing many unique photographs from the various missions, Space Shuttle Columbia - Her Missions and Crews is a fitting tribute to both this remarkable machine and those who flew in her."--BOOK JACKET.
Download or read book Columbia Crew Survival Investigation Report written by Nasa and published by PDQ Press. This book was released on 2009 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NASA commissioned the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) to conduct a thorough review of both the technical and the organizational causes of the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia and her crew on February 1, 2003. The accident investigation that followed determined that a large piece of insulating foam from Columbia's external tank (ET) had come off during ascent and struck the leading edge of the left wing, causing critical damage. The damage was undetected during the mission. The Columbia accident was not survivable. After the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) investigation regarding the cause of the accident was completed, further consideration produced the question of whether there were lessons to be learned about how to improve crew survival in the future. This investigation was performed with the belief that a comprehensive, respectful investigation could provide knowledge that can protect future crews in the worldwide community of human space flight. Additionally, in the course of the investigation, several areas of research were identified that could improve our understanding of both nominal space flight and future spacecraft accidents. This report is the first comprehensive, publicly available accident investigation report addressing crew survival for a human spacecraft mishap, and it provides key information for future crew survival investigations. The results of this investigation are intended to add meaning to the sacrifice of the crew's lives by making space flight safer for all future generations.
Download or read book Truth Lies and O Rings written by Allan J. McDonald and published by University Press of Florida. This book was released on 2012-03-11 with total page 1075 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On a cold January morning in 1986, NASA launched the Space Shuttle Challenger, despite warnings against doing so by many individuals, including Allan McDonald. The fiery destruction of Challenger on live television moments after launch remains an indelible image in the nation’s collective memory. In Truth, Lies, and O-Rings, McDonald, a skilled engineer and executive, relives the tragedy from where he stood at Launch Control Center. As he fought to draw attention to the real reasons behind the disaster, he was the only one targeted for retribution by both NASA and his employer, Morton Thiokol, Inc., makers of the shuttle's solid rocket boosters. In this whistle-blowing yet rigorous and fair-minded book, McDonald, with the assistance of internationally distinguished aerospace historian James R. Hansen, addresses all of the factors that led to the accident, some of which were never included in NASA's Failure Team report submitted to the Presidential Commission. Truth, Lies, and O-Rings is the first look at the Challenger tragedy and its aftermath from someone who was on the inside, recognized the potential disaster, and tried to prevent it. It also addresses the early warnings of very severe debris issues from the first two post-Challenger flights, which ultimately resulted in the loss of Columbia some fifteen years later.
Download or read book Organizational Learning at NASA written by Julianne G. Mahler and published by Georgetown University Press. This book was released on 2009-03-27 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Just after 9:00 a.m. on February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia broke apart and was lost over Texas. This tragic event led, as the Challenger accident had 17 years earlier, to an intensive government investigation of the technological and organizational causes of the accident. The investigation found chilling similarities between the two accidents, leading the Columbia Accident Investigation Board to conclude that NASA failed to learn from its earlier tragedy. Despite the frequency with which organizations are encouraged to adopt learning practices, organizational learning—especially in public organizations—is not well understood and deserves to be studied in more detail. This book fills that gap with a thorough examination of NASA’s loss of the two shuttles. After offering an account of the processes that constitute organizational learning, Julianne G. Mahler focuses on what NASA did to address problems revealed by Challenger and its uneven efforts to institutionalize its own findings. She also suggests factors overlooked by both accident commissions and proposes broadly applicable hypotheses about learning in public organizations.
Download or read book DEVM SPACE SHUTTLE written by Heppenheimer Ta and published by Smithsonian. This book was released on 2002-05-17 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Columbia written by Michael D. Cole and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first U.S. space shuttle to fly was Columbia. Piloted by only two astronauts, John Young and Robert Crippen, this mission revolutionized space flight. For the first time, a spacecraft was re-usable. This book discusses the liftoff, flight, and landing of this first space shuttle.
Download or read book High Calling written by Evelyn Husband and published by Thomas Nelson. This book was released on 1996-06-28 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rick Husband wanted to be an astronaut since his fourth birthday, but it wasn't always for the right reasons. Initially, he thought it would be neat . . . cool . . . a fun thing to do. It wasn't until he came to a spiritual crossroads and was able to give that dream up to discover the true desires of his heart before he actually got into the space shuttle program at NASA. Three failed attempts didn't daunt this driven pilot-and the fourth interview process, though lengthy and difficult, proved successful for him. Husband's years at NASA served not only to develop his integrity and character, but also to increase his faith in a Creator that could not be denied in the vastness of space. His story is not only inspirational but exhilarating and invigorating, as readers will witness the life of a man who consistently pursued the desires of his heart even as he served a faithful God.
Download or read book Space Shuttle Challenger written by Ben Evans and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-07-05 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book details the stories of Challenger’s missions from the points of view of the astronauts, engineers, and scientists who flew and knew her and the managers, technicians, and ground personnel who designed her and nursed her from humble beginnings as a structural test article into one of the most capable Shuttles in NASA’s service. Challenger veterans, including Gordon Fullerton and Vance Brand, describe their experiences and the differences between Challenger and her sister ships. The development of Challenger herself is explored in detail, including her design, development, construction, and preparation for missions.
Download or read book Launch on Need written by Daniel Guiteras and published by . This book was released on 2010-11-12 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Space Shuttle Columbia and the crew of STS-107 have been in orbit less than 24 hours. Everything seems to be going well until launch imaging expert Ken Brown reviews Columbia high resolution launch films and discovers a large piece of External Tank foam struck Columbia left wing just 81.9 seconds into the launch. Brown knows that if Columbia tender heat shield has been severely damaged by the impact, neither the crew nor the spacecraft will survive the inferno of atmospheric re entry. So stunned by what he sees on the films, Brown quickly executes two critical actions. First he emails an organization wide report recommending NASA immediately quantify the damage by acquiring satellite imaging of Columbia. Then, he leaks a private email to his friend John Stangley detailing Columbia predicament. Stangley, a former CNN science correspondent, knows exactly what to do with Browns scoop of a lifetime. Soon, NASA is faced with its most difficult problem ever: how to save Columbia international crew of seven men and women.
Download or read book Columbia written by Philip Chien and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2006-06-23 with total page 465 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In ‘Columbia: Final Voyage’ aerospace writer Philip Chien, who has over 20 years’ experience covering the US space program, provides a unique insight into the crew members who lost their lives in the Columbia disaster. Chien interviewed all seven crew members several times and got to know them as individuals. He reviews in detail their training, their scientific work and other activities during their successful 16-day flight, the background of the accident itself and a detailed first-hand account of what happened that fateful day in February 2003. The author provides a comprehensive and personal look at both the Columbia astronauts and the STS-107 mission, together with a behind-the-scenes account of other people involved in the mission and their personal reactions to the accident. Forward by Jonathan B. Clark, widower of Columbia astronaut Laurel Clark Introduction by Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin
Download or read book The Burning Blue written by Kevin Cook and published by Henry Holt and Company. This book was released on 2021-06-08 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The untold story of a national trauma—NASA’s Challenger explosion—and what really happened to America’s Teacher in Space, illuminating the tragic cost of humanity setting its sight on the stars You’ve seen the pictures. You know what happened. Or do you? On January 28, 1986, NASA’s space shuttle Challenger exploded after blasting off from Cape Canaveral. Christa McAuliffe, America’s “Teacher in Space,” was instantly killed, along with the other six members of the mission. At least that's what most of us remember. Kevin Cook tells us what really happened on that ill-fated, unforgettable day. He traces the pressures—leading from NASA to the White House—that triggered the fatal order to launch on an ice-cold Florida morning. Cook takes readers inside the shuttle for the agonizing minutes after the explosion, which the astronauts did indeed survive. He uncovers the errors and corner-cutting that led an overconfident space agency to launch a crew that had no chance to escape. But this is more than a corrective to a now-dimming memory. Centering on McAuliffe, a charmingly down-to-earth civilian on the cusp of history, The Burning Blue animates a colorful cast of characters: a pair of red-hot flyers at the shuttle's controls, the second female and first Jewish astronaut, the second Black astronaut, and the first Asian American and Buddhist in space. Drawing vivid portraits of Christa and the astronauts, Cook makes readers forget the fate they're hurtling toward. With drama, immediacy, and shocking surprises, he reveals the human price the Challenger crew and America paid for politics, capital-P Progress, and the national dream of "reaching for the stars."
Download or read book Columbia Crew Survival Investigation Report written by National Aeronautics and Space Administration and published by Createspace Independent Pub. This book was released on 2012-11-08 with total page 396 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Human space flight is still in its infancy; spacecraft navigate narrow tracks of carefully computed ascent and entry trajectories with little allowable deviation. Until recently, it remained the province of a few governments. As private industry and more countries join in this great enterprise, we must share findings that may help protect those who venture into space. In the history of NASA, this approach has resulted in many improvements in crew survival. After the Apollo 1 fire, sweeping changes were made to spacecraft design and to the way crew rescue equipment was positioned and available at the launch pad. After the Challenger accident, a jettisonable hatch, personal oxygen systems, parachutes, rafts, and pressure suits were added to ascent and entry operations of the space shuttle. As we move toward a time when human space flight will be commonplace, there is an obligation to make this inherently risky endeavor as safe as feasible. Design features, equipment, training, and procedures all play a role in improving crew safety and survival in contingencies. In aviation, continual improvement in oxygen systems, pressure suits, parachutes, ejection seats, and other equipment and systems has been made. It is a core value in the aviation world to evaluate these systems in every accident and pool the data to understand how design improvements may improve the chances that a crew will survive in a future accident. The Columbia accident was not survivable. After the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) investigation regarding the cause of the accident was completed, further consideration produced the question of whether there were lessons to be learned about how to improve crew survival in the future. This investigation was performed with the belief that a comprehensive, respectful investigation could provide knowledge that can protect future crews in the worldwide community of human space flight. Additionally, in the course of the investigation, several areas of research were identified that could improve our understanding of both nominal space flight and future spacecraft accidents. This report is the first comprehensive, publicly available accident investigation report addressing crew survival for a human spacecraft mishap, and it provides key information for future crew survival investigations. The results of this investigation are intended to add meaning to the sacrifice of the crew's lives by making space flight safer for all future generations. Many findings, conclusions, and recommendations have resulted from this investigation that will be valuable both to spacecraft designers and accident investigators. This report provides the reader an expert level of knowledge regarding the sequence of events that contributed to the loss of Columbia's crew on February 1, 2003 and what can be learned to improve the safety of human space flight for all future crews. It is the team's expectation that readers will approach the report with the respect and integrity that the subject and the crew of Columbia deserve.
Download or read book Final Countdown written by Pat Duggins and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Examines the history of NASA's shuttle program, its missions, and its impending demise in a behind-the-scenes view of what was once the cornerstone of the U.S. space program.
