# CNN documentary on the Columbia space shuttle disaster **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** documentary-bio\ **Created:** [April 15, 2024, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330 "2024-04-15T18:45:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330/21 "2024-04-16T11:57:59Z")
I don’t remember anything about the Columbia disaster. I didn’t watch much TV news at the time and I didn’t have home internet so I wouldn’t have been following breaking news on a weekend. ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330/22 "2024-04-16T19:25:10Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > To remind, the Columbia space shuttle disintegrated on re-entry on a Saturday morning, 21 years ago. The date was Saturday 01 February 2003. 7 astronauts lost their lives. 6 were Americans and 1 was Israeli, the first Israeli astronaut. The root cause of the failure occurred during the launch, 16 days prior, when a piece of polyurethane foam insulation about 2’ x 1’ x 6” thick broke off from the large external fuel tank (the ET, external tank) and struck the leading edge of the shuttle’s left wing. The strong material on that leading wing edge, RCC or reinforced carbon-carbon ([wiki link here](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reinforced_carbon%E2%80%93carbon)), was deemed by NASA management to be impenetrable, but on re-entry the hole in the RCC allowed hot gases to enter and destroy the shuttle from within. Investigations later disclosed that ET foam debris had caused some damage on other shuttle launches, but none had apparently damaged the RCC surfaces. > > Do you remember where you were when you learned about the Columbia space shuttle disaster? I certainly do. I was on my way to work and heard about it on the radio. When I got to the office, my boss was there and I told her about it. The office was empty (being a Saturday) and she and I were the only ones in. I had a lot of work to do and I knew they were gone, beyond hope of any survivors, so I just buried my head in the work that needed to be done. Wasn’t it five Americans, one Israeli, and the woman was from India? (She was also the only one who was not in the military, IIRC.) I remember where I was; I was watching the story unfold on CNN. There was one shot of the clock at (I think) the Kennedy Space Center that was counting down the time to when Columbia was expected to touch down, and when it reached zero with Columbia nowhere in sight, everybody realized the magnitude of the situation. Whenever I am in DC, I make it a point to go to the Columbia memorial (and Challenger memorial, which is right next to it) at Arlington National Cemetery, located near the Tomb of the Unknowns. I haven’t seen the documentary yet - I did record the whole thing - but I am assuming that they mentioned that Brown, Clark, and Anderson are buried there as well. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330/23 "2024-04-16T19:54:48Z")
After the launch, photogenic evidence implied that something big had hit the wing. It was suggested that NASA ask the Air Force to use one of their telescopes to try to get a photo of the shuttle in orbit, but they decided not to. Not that it would have made any difference- there was nothing that could be done to repair or mitigate the damage. When the shuttle re-entered, some “amateur” photographers decided to test their telescopic tracker on the shuttle, and got the first photos of the wing burning up. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330/24 "2024-04-16T20:03:40Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Not that it would have made any difference- there was nothing that could be done to repair or mitigate the damage. A rescue mission was possible however, requiring a minimal life support level for the Columbia crew for c. 2-4 weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2024, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330/25 "2024-04-16T22:18:49Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > It was suggested that NASA ask the Air Force to use one of their telescopes to try to get a photo of the shuttle in orbit, but they decided not to. Not that it would have made any difference- there was nothing that could be done to repair or mitigate the damage They did that with the first launch of the Columbia. NASA got cooperation with the NSA and used KH-11 spy satellite to check the tiles. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2024, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330/26 "2024-04-17T01:15:54Z")
I was on a workplace sabbatical (long story) and volunteering at our newly opened Habitat ReStore. I got up and turned on my computer, where it said that NASA had lost contact with the shuttle, and then got dressed and went to the storefront. Before we opened, the director called us all into the office and told us that the shuttle had crashed and there were no survivors. I later worked with a woman at my next job who lived in the Houston area at the time, and her husband was in the Texas National Guard and participated in the recovery effort. He found “something” (I’ll share the details with anyone who PMs me) and had to get counseling as a result. She also said that while they were looking for 7 bodies, they actually found 9. The other two turned out to be victims of a serial killer that was active in the region at the time, and one of them hadn’t even been reported missing. It was a very good miniseries. Did anyone else notice that Kaylee Anderson was the spitting image of her dad? ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2024, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330/27 "2024-04-17T07:54:28Z")
Her name is Kaycee, not Kaylee. And now that you mention it, yes she does look a lot like her father. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2024, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330/28 "2024-04-17T08:04:12Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Wasn’t it five Americans, one Israeli, and the woman was from India? (She was also the only one who was not in the military, IIRC.) Kalpana Chawla was American, born in India. She became an American citizen. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330/29 "2024-04-18T17:42:33Z")
No, I don’t remember where I was. The only two events where I distinctly recall where I was were the Kennedy assassination (I was just a young tyke at school, and the teacher told us) and 9/11. In the latter case, I was late for a meeting and knew nothing about it, and was relieved to see a senior manager in the lobby who was also late for the same meeting, and he told me about it. Yes, I saw the documentary. It was very good but with far too much filler. The real story unfolds in episode 3, and episode 4 covers the aftermath very well. I knew that a foam hit had been detected immediately after the launch, but I didn’t know that a number of engineers had very serious concerns about it but were unable to get NASA to take any meaningful action, even just getting pictures of potential damage. I also never realized what a repressive hierarchical bureaucracy NASA was at the time, where “protocol” was all-important in governing who you were allowed to talk to, what you said, and how you said it if you expected to have a meaningful career there. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2024, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330/30 "2024-04-18T18:15:41Z")
As I recall, the thinking at the time was that an emergency rescue was much too risky, and likely to lose both crews. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330/31 "2024-04-19T16:41:38Z")
I have rewatched the documentary and wrote down the individuals identified in it, in chronological order. Many appeared more than one of course, but I only wrote down when they first appeared, by episode. Sometimes I went back to a person in the listing to update a commentary about them. Sometimes I noted other events, e.g., the foam strike on STS-112 Atlantis shortly before Columbia launched, but my focus was on the people depicted in it. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Part 1 ◆ Roz Hobgood, NASA shuttle crew secretary ◆ Dave Brown / STS-107 ◆ Kalpana Chawla / STS-107 ◆ Laurel Clark / STS-107 ◆ Mike Anderson / STS-107 ◆ Rick Husband / STS-107 ◆ Ilan Ramon / STS-107 ◆ Jon Clark, NASA Flight Surgeon, husband of Laurel Clark / STS-107 ◆ Iain Clark, son of Laurel Clark / STS-107 ◆ Mark Kelly, NASA astronaut ◆ Rodney Rocha, NASA Shuttle Chief Engineer, Structural Engineering Division: requested outside assistance (e.g., satellite photographs) to analyze potential damage of the foam strike; when he learned the satellite photo request was retracted by NASA, he shouted at Paul Shack; Paul Shack called him a “chicken little” ◆ Evelyn Husband, wife of Rick / STS-107 ◆ Laura Husband, daughter of Rick / STS-107; was 12; so, b approx 1991 ◆ Anjali Chawla, sister in law of KC / STS-107 ◆ Sandy Anderson, wife of Mike Anderson / STS-107 ◆ Kaycee Anderson, daughter of Mike Anderson / STS-107 ◆ a vulture hit the ET during a launch ◆ Sean O’Keefe, NASA Administrator ◆ Tal Ramon, son of Ilan Ramon / STS-107 ◆ plane crash, private plane, Jon Clark, Laurel, Iaian and dog; survived ◆ Bob Cabana, NASA Flight Crew Operations Director; he informed the families that the crew was lost ◆ Miles O’Brien, CNN Space Analyst / Science Correspondent, PBS; saw film of the foam strike shortly after the launch, on mission day 1 ◆ LeRoy E. Cain, NASA Flight Director ◆ Mike Sarafin, NASA Guidance and Navigation Controller / Artemis Mission Manager; provided NASA data of foam strikes to CAIB, CAIB = Columbia Accident Investigation Board • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Part 2 ◆ Bob Page, NASA Photo Analysis Manager; saw the foam strike on mission day 2 ◆ Wayne Hale, NASA Manager, Shuttle Program; manager of Bob Page; submitted photo request to USAF at Patrick AFB in FL; later told by Linda Ham to retract USAF request, and he did ◆ Paul Shack, NASA Shuttle Engineering Office Manager ◆ Linda Ham, NASA Columbia Mission Manager; manager of Wayne Hale ◆ Ron Dittemore, NASA Shuttle Program Manager, manager of Linda Ham ◆ STS-112, Atlantis launch, 2002-10-07; foam debris struck and dented an SRB ◆ STS-95, 1998-10-29: landing parachute door fell off; NASA requested satellite photos which were inconclusive; as a result, NASA was embarrassed ◆ Robyn Morgan, wife of Rodney Rocha • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Part 3 ◆ Ellen Ochoa, NASA Flight Crew Operations Deputy Director; with an off duty flight director, are the first in the control room to see news of debris ◆ Bill Foster, NASA Ground Controller ◆ Charlie Hobaugh, NASA Cap Comm: “Columbia, Houston, UHF comm check“ ◆ Dan Taravella, Nacogdoches TX police ◆ Peggy Jasso, Nacogdoches TX resident ◆ Terry Lane, FBI Special Agent ◆ George W. Bush, President: made the announcement to the country • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • Part 4 ◆ Steven Wallace / CAIB member; CAIB = Columbia Accident Investigation Board ◆ Patrick Goodman, CAIB accident investigator ◆ Brig Gen Duane Deal / CAIB member ◆ 2003-02-04, Houston: STS-107 memorial service ◆ Neil Armstrong, attendee, STS-107 memorial service ◆ STS-7, in 1983, the 1st bipod ramp foam loss ◆ STS-32R, in 1990, another foam debris strike ◆ STS-50, in 1992, another foam debris strike ◆ STS-52, in 1992, another foam debris strike ◆ STS-64, in 1994, another foam debris strike ◆ Lisa Stark, ABC News ◆ Red Wiseman; with Mark Kelly announcement of Artemis ◆ Laurel Clark, daughter of Iain Clark, granddaughter of Laurel Clark / STS-107 • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330/32 "2024-04-19T17:13:10Z")
One other person worth mentioning, who was not interviewed, was Phil Engelauf. He was sitting beside Ellen Ochoa and received the phone call about the shuttle breaking up. You can see the look on her fact when he tells her. Shortly after that he informs Leroy Cain, seen rocking on his heels, knowing what he has to do next. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330/33 "2024-04-19T22:28:26Z")
For those of you who noticed that Miles O’Brien doesn’t have a left hand, that’s because he lost his left forearm in a freak accident a few years ago. He was IIRC in the Philippines, and an equipment case slammed shut on that arm. For a day or two, he just thought he had a nasty bruise, and then his fingertips became black and painful, and the arm had to be amputated at the elbow to save his life. He also found out that even if this had happened IN a modern American hospital, his fate would have been the same. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330/34 "2024-04-19T22:40:43Z")
Wow, I had no idea that had happened to Miles O’Brien. What a horrible thing to happen to anyone! To add to my previous list of things I learned from this documentary, I had not known that Ron Dittemore, NASA Shuttle Program Manager, at one point stated unequivocally that there was no way that a piece of lightweight foam could damage the shuttle, and particularly not the reinforced carbon-carbon leading edge of the wing. He said this while waving around a piece of the foam to show the press how insubstantial it was. Later on, of course, both direct testing and forensic analysis of the debris showed that it absolutely **was** possible and had indeed happened. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330/35 "2024-04-19T22:44:18Z")
My recollection is: when they did the first impact tests, firing a piece of foam with an air cannon at the Enterprise wing, and they saw the huge hole it punched into it, one of the engineers burst into tears. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330/36 "2024-04-19T22:45:07Z")
I was loafing in bed on that Saturday morning, listening to the local news radio station, when I heard the initial report that NASA had lost contact with _Columbia_. I knew, pretty much instantly, that the craft had been lost (though not the specifics, obviously). ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330/37 "2024-04-19T22:49:09Z")
Hey there Kenobi. Are you feeling ok? Glad to see you posting. (Sorry, tiny hijack) ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330/38 "2024-04-19T23:06:53Z")
One question the documentary didn’t answer was what they did about the foam problem for subsequent flights. By my count there were 22 more shuttle missions after the Columbia accident. How did they insulate the main tank for those flights? As an aside, both the Challenger and Columbia disasters exposed a lot of different problems at NASA, particularly the rigid management culture, the scheduling pressures, and the discouragement of voicing safety concerns which tended to be viewed as unduly alarmist. Some engineers had serious concerns in both those cases, though in the case of Columbia there may not have been much that could have been done other than perhaps trying a less stressful re-entry approach. But the Space Shuttle always struck me as a kind of Rube Goldberg design; it had oddities and vulnerabilities that (for example) the venerable Saturn V did not. For instance, you can’t have an O-ring leak in a solid rocket booster destroy the launch vehicle if you don’t have solid rocket boosters to begin with. You can’t have falling pieces of foam fatally damage the re-entry vehicle if there isn’t any foam, and in any case the re-entry vehicle is safely at the very top of the launch vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2024, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330/39 "2024-04-19T23:52:13Z")
If I remember correctly, the main corrective action was to improve the application of the foam, and the inspection after it was applied. The big problem was the adhesion of the foam to the tank - if there were areas that didn’t get “stuck down” very well, big chunks could peel off at launch. There was a particular area that was of major concern - the junction between the tank and one of the support arms. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2024, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330/40 "2024-04-20T02:14:37Z")
I was surprised to see how banged up the space shuttles were in close-up shots. I sort of figured they got washed or something in between uses. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-documentary-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-disaster/1000330.md?page=3)