Colobia and Challenger Shutle Crashes

Going to the Stars

Almost everybody as a child had at one time or another been fascinated by space exploration, the great mystery and excitement of the last frontier. Science Fiction led us on to what may be out there. There was a base for reality in space, though, Astronauts. Astronauts were amazing, intelligent people that were bigger than life. They were in the cutting edge of technology, pushing the limits of human knowledge. They did what no one else could. They traveled to places no one else could reach. The fascination with astronauts is what makes space ship accidents so tragic. On January 28th, 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger exploded after liftoff. On February 1st, 2003, Space Shuttle Colombia crashed over Texas when returning back to Earth from a mission. Both of these tragedies were felt all over the world. The destruction of both space shuttles share many similarities.

In 1981, the world was introduced to a new mode of space transportation. The first ever space shuttle, Colombia, made a successful test landing. From this point on, space ships could be reused, increasing the number of missions possible while decreasing the cost of each mission (1). This new innovation invigorated America's enthusiasm for the space program. After the space race was over, there was very little people outside of the program desired to see. NASA became the whipping boy of politicians that were looking for tax cuts. There were few goals in the space program in the next decade and fewer were fulfilled. The entire nation seemed to be in a technological and overall feeling of malaise.

The space shuttle awakened America. It showed we were still innovators. We were still the nation pushing things forward. The President, Ronald Reagan was behind NASA along with the rest of America. The space program was back to life.

The Challenger Mission was a highly publicized event even before the accident. A teacher, Sharon Christa McAuliffe, was to be a part of the Space Shuttle Challenger's crew. She was chosen from among more than 11,000 applicants from the education profession for entrance into the astronaut ranks. NASA selected McAuliffe for this position in the summer of 1984 and in the fall she took a year-long leave of absence from teaching, during which time NASA would pay her salary, and trained for an early 1986 Shuttle mission. She had an immediate rapport with the media, and the teacher in space program received tremendous popular attention as a result. It is in part because of the excitement over McAuliffe's presence on the Challenger that the accident had such a significant impact on the nation (2).

On January 28th, 1986, Space Shuttle Challenger began liftoff at 11:38 A.M. It ended seventy three seconds later in an explosive burn of hydrogen and oxygen propellants that destroyed the external tank and exposed the orbiter to severe aerodynamic loads that caused complete structural break up. All seven crew members perished. The two solid rocket boosters flew out of the fireball and were destroyed one hundred and ten seconds after the launch (3).

The catastrophe shook the entire world. It was the worst lost the space program had ever suffered. The grief people felt was heavy. The space program had just begun to flourish and the Challenger mission was well known about. Many people saw the explosion happen live on television. Also, the crew was so diverse, that every single person in the world could relate with them (4).

The shuttle commander was Francis R. Scobee, an Air Force pilot from Washington. He had been with NASA since 1978. He was a calm, precise, and intelligent man.

The pilot for the fatal 1986 Challenger mission was Michael J. Smith from North Carolina. He was a Navy commander and had joined the space program in 1980.

Judith A. Resnik was a mission specialist on the Challenger Space Shuttle and from Ohio. She had been with NASA since 1978. Judith Resnik was the second woman in orbit.

Ronald E. McNair, the second of three mission specialists, achieved success early in the South Carolina segregated public schools he attended both as a student and an athlete. He was a physical fitness advocate, often going out to speak on the matter. He was one of the first three African Americans selected into the NASA space program in 1978.

Ellison S. Onizuka was the last of three mission specialists. He had been born in Hawaii to Japanese American parents. Before joining NASA in 1978 Onizuka served in the Air Force. Aboard the Challenger Space Shuttle, Onizuka was supposed to serve on the first dedicated Department of Defense classified mission.

Gregory B. Jarvis, a payload specialist on the mission, worked for Hughes Aircraft Corporation's Space and Communications Group in Los Angeles, California. He was not employed by the Federal Government. Jarvis started training as an astronaut after competing against six hundred other Hughes employees in 1984. His duties on the Challenger flight revolved around gathering new information on the design of liquid fuel rockets.

These six astronauts along with teacher-astronaut Sharon Christa McAuliffe represented a cross-section of the American population in terms of race, gender, geography, background, and religion. It was the best face of the American people, a diverse group of people working together to further America's science, technology, and exploration.

On February 1st, 2003, the Colombia Space Shuttle broke up, killing all seven astronauts on board, just sixteen minutes prior to its scheduled touchdown. Investigators believe heat-resistant carbon-carbon tiles on the shuttle's left wing were damaged at liftoff by pieces of insulating foam flying off the shuttle's external fuel tank, allowing superheated gases to enter and burn up the spacecraft (5).

The death of the Colombia Space Shuttle crew was the worst loss to America's Space Program since the Challenger explosion. Americans were hit just as hard with grief. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001, America has been trying to build its pride back up. Such a tragedy as the Colombia disaster was devastating to Americans and also to the rest of the world. Although the Colombia Space Shuttle broke apart on its way to land, just like the Challenger Space Shuttle, the Colombia's catalyst for malfunction occurred during the liftoff process.

The crew of Colombia had many similarities with Challenger's crew. Both were diverse groups. Both had the aeronautical expertise of military personnel mixed with the unconquerable curiosity of scientific experts (6).

Colombia's commander, Rick Husband, just like Challenger's commander,