Chronology of the tragedy
- 2:30 EST, February 1- The landing shift of the flight control center begins work under the leadership of flight director Leroy Kane. The center performed standard operations to prepare the shuttle for re-entry. Specific problems associated with this landing were not considered. In particular, the control center did not attach any importance to the piece of foam that fell off the oxygen tank during the launch. Entry into the atmosphere should have taken place as usual. Forecasters were studying weather conditions in the area of the Kennedy Space Center, where Columbia was supposed to land.
Photo of the cabin before boarding
- 8:00 - The head of the landing shift of the Mission Control Center, Leroy Kane, is conducting a survey of the shift operators. Everyone gives the go-ahead for deorbiting. The weather forecast at the landing site was within normal limits and all systems were operating normally.
- 8:10 - Telecommunications operator ( The Capsule Communicator, CapCom) astronaut Charles Hobaugh gives the spacecraft crew permission to deorbit.
- 8:15:30 (EI-1719)- Ship commander Husband and pilot McCool began to remove the ship from orbit by firing two engines of the Columbia orbital maneuvering system. At the moment the engines started, the ship was in the “head down and tail forward” position above Indian Ocean at an altitude of about 280 km. The deorbit maneuver was carried out on the 255th orbit and in 2 minutes 38 seconds slowed the spacecraft from the first escape velocity (7.8 km/s) before entering the dense layers of the atmosphere. While the engines were running, the crew experienced an acceleration of approximately 1/10. Having experienced no problems during the maneuver, Husband moved the Columbia to the “starboard side, nose forward” position.
- 8:44:09 (EI+000)- Conventional entry point into the dense layers of the atmosphere ( Entry Interface, EI). Conventionally, entry occurs upon reaching an altitude of 120 km (400,000 ft). Entry into the atmosphere occurred over the Pacific Ocean. As Columbia enters the atmosphere, air friction begins to heat the leading edge of the wing. The temperature increases gradually, typically rising to 1400 °C over the next 6 minutes.
- 8:48:39 (EI+270)- The temperature sensor on the leading edge of the left wing plane shows values higher than those recorded during Columbia's previous re-entries. This information was not transmitted to Earth or shown to the crew, it was only recorded flight recorder Modular Auxiliary Data System.
- 8:49:32 (EI+323)- Columbia makes a planned right turn. Speed: Mach 24.5. Columbia begins performing maneuvers to precisely control lift, which is required to limit the rate of descent and control the heating of the hull.
- 8:50:53 (EI+404)- Columbia enters a ten-minute period during which the ship's hull is subjected to the heaviest thermal loads. Speed: Mach 24.1; altitude: 74 km.
- 8:52:00 (EI+471)- “Columbia” is approximately 500 km west of the California coastline. The temperature at the leading edge of the wing at this moment usually reaches 1450 °C.
- 8:53:26 (EI+557)- Columbia flies over the California coastline west of Sacramento. Speed: Mach 23; altitude: 70.6 km. At this point, the leading edge of the shuttle wing typically reaches temperatures in excess of 1540 °C.
- 8:53:46 (EI+597)- Traces of falling debris were found. Speed: Mach 22.8; altitude: 70.2 km. The plasma surrounding the ship suddenly increases the brightness of its glow, and a strong electrical discharge occurs in the bright gas plume of the ship. In the next 23 seconds, a similar phenomenon will occur four more times, which will be noted by observers.
- 8:54:24 (EI+613)- Orbiter mechanical systems and life support operator Jeff Kling (The Maintenance, Mechanical, and Crew Systems (MMACS) officer) informed the flight director that four hydraulic system sensors in the left wing plane began to show values below the sensitivity limit (off scale for the minimum). According to the Control Center, up to this point everything was going completely fine. The landing shift of the MCC (The Entry Team) continues to discuss what exactly happened with the four sensors.
- 08:54:25 (EI+614)- After passing through California airspace, Columbia flies over Nevada. Speed: Mach 22.5; altitude: 69.3 km. At this moment, observers notice a bright flash. In the next 4 minutes, this phenomenon will be noted 18 more times.
- 8:55:00 (EI+651)- About 11 minutes after the ship enters the dense layers of the atmosphere, the edge of the wing usually heats up to 1650 ° C.
- 8:55:32 (EI+683)- "Columbia" crosses the border of Nevada and Utah. Speed: Mach 21.8; altitude: 68 km.
- 8:55:52 (EI+703)- Columbia crosses the Utah-Arizona border.
- 8:56:30 (EI+741)- While over Arizona, the Columbia begins a left turn.
- 8:56:45 (EI+756)- Columbia crosses the Arizona-New Mexico border. Speed: Mach 20.9; altitude: 66.8 km.
- 8:57:24 (EI+795)- “Columbia” passed just north of the city of Albuquerque.
- 8:58:00 (EI+831)- At this point in time, the temperature of the leading edge of the wing is usually 1580 °C.
- 8:58:20 (EI+851)- Columbia crosses the New Mexico and Texas border. Speed: Mach 19.5; altitude: 64 km. Around this time, one of the heat protection tiles fell off the ship. Subsequently, when the search for the wreckage was underway, this tile became the westernmost part of the ship found. Searchers found her in a field in Littlefield, Texas, northwest of Lubbock.
- 8:59:15 (EI+906)- MMACS informed the flight director that the telemetry did not show pressure values in both tires of the left landing gear. The communications operator (CAPCOM) informed the crew that the Control Center was aware of this fact and was actively looking into the sensor readings, adding that the last message from the board to the flight control group was illegible.
The found wreckage of the ship has been collected in the hangar to conduct an investigation into the causes of the disaster.
Temporary memorial near the main entrance to the Johnson Space Center
Space is an airless space, the temperature in which is up to -270°C. A person cannot survive in such an aggressive environment, so astronauts always risk their lives, rushing into the unknown blackness of the Universe. In the process of space exploration, many disasters occurred that claimed dozens of lives. One of these tragic milestones in the history of astronautics was the death of the Challenger shuttle, which resulted in the death of all crew members.
Briefly about the ship
In the United States, NASA launched the billion-dollar Space Transportation System program. Within its framework, in 1971, the construction of reusable spacecraft began - space shuttles (in English Space Shuttle, which literally translates as “space shuttle”). It was planned that these shuttles would, like shuttles, shuttle between the Earth and orbit, rising to an altitude of up to 500 km. They were supposed to be useful for delivering payloads to orbital stations, performing the necessary installation and construction work, and conducting scientific research.
One of these ships was the Challenger shuttle, the second space shuttle built under this program. In July 1982, it was transferred to NASA for operation.
It got its name in honor of a sea vessel that explored the ocean in the 1870s. In NASA reference books it was listed as OV-99.
Flight history
The space shuttle Challenger first flew into space in April 1983 to launch a broadcast satellite. In June of the same year, it launched again to launch two communications satellites into orbit and conduct pharmaceutical experiments. One of the crew members was Sally Kristen Ride.
August 1983 - the third shuttle launch and the first at night in the history of American astronautics. As a result, the Insat-1B telecommunications satellite was launched into orbit and the Canadian manipulator Canadarm was tested. The flight duration was a little over 6 days.
In February 1984, the space shuttle Challenger took off again, but the mission to put two more satellites into orbit failed.
The fifth launch took place in April 1984. Then, for the first time in world history, a satellite was repaired in space. In October 1984, the sixth launch took place, which was marked by the presence of two female astronauts on board the spacecraft. During this significant flight, the first spacewalk by a woman, Katherine Sullivan, was made in the history of American astronautics.
The seventh flight in April 1985, the eighth in July and the ninth flight in October this year were also successful. They were united by a common goal - conducting research in a space laboratory.
In total, the Challenger has 9 successful flights, it spent 69 days in space, made a complete orbit around the blue planet 987 times, its “mileage” is 41.5 million kilometers.
Challenger shuttle disaster
The tragedy occurred off the coast of Florida on January 28, 1986 at 11:39 a.m. At this time, the Challenger shuttle exploded over the Atlantic Ocean. It collapsed in the 73rd second of flight at an altitude of 14 km from the ground. All 7 crew members were killed.
During the launch, the sealing ring of the right solid fuel accelerator was damaged. This caused a hole to burn in the side of the accelerator, from which a jet stream flew towards the external fuel tank. The jet destroyed the tail mount and the supporting structures of the tank itself. Elements of the ship shifted, breaking the symmetry of thrust and air resistance. The spacecraft deviated from the specified flight axis and, as a result, was destroyed under the influence of aerodynamic overloads.
The space shuttle Challenger was not equipped with an evacuation system, so the crew members had no chance of survival. But even if there was such a system, the astronauts would fall into the ocean at a speed of more than 300 km/h. The force of the impact on the water would have been such that no one would have survived anyway.
The Last Crew
During the 10th launch, the Challenger shuttle had seven people on board:
- Francis Richard "Dick" Scobee - 46 years old, crew chief. American military pilot with the rank of lieutenant colonel, NASA astronaut. He is survived by his wife, daughter and son. Posthumously awarded the medal "For Space Flight".
- Michael John Smith - 40 years old, co-pilot. Test pilot with the rank of captain, NASA astronaut. He is survived by his wife and three children. Posthumously awarded the medal "For Space Flight".
- Allison Shoji Onizuka - 39 years old, scientific specialist. American NASA astronaut Japanese origin, test pilot with the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was posthumously awarded the rank of colonel.
- Judith Arlen Resnik - 36 years old, scientific specialist. One of NASA's best engineers and astronauts. Professional pilot.
- Ronald Ervin McNair - 35 years old, scientific specialist. Physicist, NASA astronaut. He left his wife and two children on Earth. He was posthumously awarded the medal "For Space Flight".
- Gregory Bruce Jarvis - 41 years old, payload specialist. An engineer by training. US Air Force Captain. NASA astronaut since 1984. He left his wife and three children at home. He was posthumously awarded the medal "For Space Flight".
- Sharon Christa Corrigan McAuliffe - 37 years old, payload specialist. Civil. Posthumously awarded the Space Medal - for astronauts.
There's a little more to be said about the final crew member, Christa McAuliffe. How could a civilian get on the Challenger space shuttle? It seems incredible.
Christa McAuliffe
She was born on 09/02/1948 in Boston, Massachusetts. Worked as a teacher in English, history and biology. She was married and had two children.
Her life flowed as usual and measuredly, until in 1984 the “Teacher in Space” competition was announced in the USA. His idea was to prove that everyone is young and healthy man after adequate preparation, he will be able to successfully fly into space and return to Earth. Among the 11 thousand applications submitted was the application of Krista, a cheerful, cheerful and energetic teacher from Boston.
She won the competition. When Vice President J. presented her with the winner's ticket at a ceremony in the White House, she burst into tears of happiness. It was a one way ticket.
After three months of training, experts declared Krista ready to fly. She was tasked with filming educational scenes and teaching several lessons from aboard the shuttle.
Pre-flight problems
Initially, in the process of preparing the tenth launch of the space shuttle, there were many problems:
- Initially, the launch was planned to take place on January 22 from the Kennedy Space Center. But due to organizational troubles, the start was moved first to January 23 and then to January 24.
- Due to storm warning and low temperatures The flight was postponed another day.
- Again, due to a bad weather forecast, the start was postponed to January 27.
- During the next inspection of the equipment, several problems were identified, so it was decided to set a new flight date - January 28.
On the morning of January 28, it was frosty outside, the temperature dropped to -1°C. This caused concern among the engineers, and in a private conversation they warned NASA management that extreme conditions could adversely affect the condition of the O-rings and recommended that the launch date be postponed again. But these recommendations were rejected. Another difficulty arose: the launch site became icy. This was an insurmountable obstacle, but, “fortunately,” by 10 a.m. the ice began to melt. The start was scheduled for 11:40 am. It was broadcast on national television. All of America watched the events at the cosmodrome.
Launch and crash of the space shuttle Challenger
At 11:38 a.m. the engines started working. After 2 minutes the device started. Seven seconds later, gray smoke emerged from the base of the right booster, as recorded by ground footage of the flight. The reason for this was the impact of the shock load during engine startup. This has happened before, and the main O-ring, which ensured reliable insulation of the systems, was triggered. But it was cold that morning, so the frozen ring lost its elasticity and could not work as expected. This was the cause of the disaster.
At 58 seconds into the flight, the Challenger shuttle, a photo of which is in the article, began to collapse. After 6 seconds, liquid hydrogen began to flow out of the external tank; after another 2 seconds, the pressure in the external fuel tank dropped to a critical level.
At 73 seconds of flight, the liquid oxygen tank collapsed. Oxygen and hydrogen detonated, and the Challenger disappeared in a huge fireball.
Search for the remains of the ship and the bodies of the dead
After the explosion, debris from the shuttle fell into the Atlantic Ocean. The search for the wreckage of the spacecraft and the bodies of the dead astronauts began with the support of military personnel from the Coast Guard. On March 7, a shuttle cabin containing the bodies of crew members was discovered at the bottom of the ocean. Due to prolonged exposure to seawater, an autopsy was unable to determine the exact cause of death. However, it was possible to find out that after the explosion the astronauts remained alive, since their cabin was simply torn off from the tail section. Michael Smith, Allison Onizuka and Judith Resnick remained conscious and turned on their personal air supply. Most likely, the astronauts could not survive the gigantic force of the impact on the water.
Investigation into the causes of the tragedy
NASA's internal investigation into all the circumstances of the disaster was conducted under the strictest secrecy. To understand all the details of the case and find out the reasons why the Challenger shuttle crashed, US President Reagan created a special Rogers Commission (named after Chairman William Pierce Rogers). Its members included prominent scientists, space and aviation engineers, astronauts and military personnel.
A few months later, the Rogers Commission provided the President with a report in which all the circumstances that resulted in the Challenger shuttle disaster were made public. It was also stated that NASA management did not adequately respond to warnings from specialists regarding problems with the safety of the planned flight.
Consequences of the crash
The crash of the space shuttle Challenger caused swipe According to the US reputation, the Space Transportation System program was curtailed for 3 years. Due to the largest space shuttle disaster at that time, the United States suffered losses ($8 billion).
Significant changes were made to the design of the shuttles, significantly increasing their safety.
The structure of NASA was also reorganized. An independent agency to oversee flight safety has been created.
Display in culture
In May 2013, the film “Challenger” directed by J. Hawes was released. In the UK it was named best drama film of the year. Its plot is based on real events and concerns the activities of the Rogers Commission.
It was supposed to take place at 14:16 GMT. Eyewitnesses filmed burning debris from the shuttle flying at an altitude of about 63 kilometers at a speed of 5.6 km/s. All 7 crew members were killed.
For several months after the tragedy, an investigation into the disaster was carried out. A specially created Commission to investigate the Columbia shuttle disaster came to the conclusion that the cause of the disaster was the destruction of the outer heat-protective layer on the left plane of the shuttle wing, caused by a piece of thermal insulation of the oxygen tank falling on it during the launch of the ship. Hot gases penetrated inside, which led to overheating of the left landing gear tire, its explosion, further destruction of the wing structure and the death of the shuttle.
A significant role in the investigation of the causes of the disaster was played by the data preserved in the additional system for recording on-board parameters ( Modular Auxiliary Data System (MADS)), installed only on the Columbia, as on the very first flight model of the series. The system was intended to record readings from on-board sensors for the purpose of their detailed post-flight analysis, which was important in the first test flights. The unit that records sensor readings on a magnetic medium, without being particularly protected, miraculously survived, acting as a “black box.”
All found fragments of the shuttle are currently stored at the Space Center named after. John Kennedy.
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✪ Challenger shuttle disaster 1986
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Crew
The Columbia shuttle crew consisted of seven people. Its composition was as follows:
- The crew commander is 45-year-old Richard “Rick” D. Husband. US military pilot, US Air Force colonel, NASA astronaut. Spent 25 days 17 hours 33 minutes in space. Before Columbia, he was the commander of the shuttle STS-96 Discovery.
- The co-pilot is 41-year-old William “Willie” C. McCool. Test pilot, NASA astronaut. Spent 15 days 22 hours 20 minutes in space.
- The flight engineer is 40-year-old Kalpana Chawla. Scientist, first female NASA astronaut of Indian origin. Spent 31 days, 14 hours and 54 minutes in space.
- The payload specialist is 43-year-old Michael F. Anderson. Scientist, NASA astronaut. Spent 24 days 18 hours 8 minutes in space.
- A zoology specialist is 41-year-old Laurel B. S. Clark. US Navy captain, NASA astronaut. Spent 15 days 22 hours 20 minutes in space.
- Scientific specialist (doctor) - 46-year-old David McDowell Brown. Test pilot, NASA astronaut. Spent 15 days 22 hours 20 minutes in space.
- The scientific specialist is 48-year-old Ilan Ramon (English: Ilan Ramon, Hebrew: אילן רמון). NASA's first Israeli astronaut. Spent 15 days 22 hours 20 minutes in space.
Chronology of events
Damage to the shuttle during launch
The external fuel tank of the shuttles was covered with a thermally insulating coating designed to prevent the formation of ice on the shell of the tank filled with liquid oxygen and hydrogen.
Approximately 82 seconds after launch, a piece of insulation separated from the left fairing of the shuttle's attachment to the external tank, which hit the carbon fiber panel of the Columbia's left wing with force. As subsequent field experiments showed, such a blow could leave behind a hole with a diameter of 15-25 cm.
The mount fairing was made entirely of thermally insulating foam material and served to reduce the aerodynamic load on the mount. Fairing separation has been noted in past launches - STS-7 (1983), STS-32 (1990), STS-50 (1992) and STS-112 (2002). All these launches were considered successful, the “insulation department” (eng. foam shedding) was not given due attention, and it was considered normal. The launch of the STS-112 mission featured the first use of a video camera mounted on an external fuel tank. During the launch, a piece separated from the fairing, which hit the connecting ring at the place where the left solid fuel accelerator is attached to the external tank, leaving behind a dent 10 cm wide and 7.5 cm deep. After analyzing this data, NASA experts concluded that “the additional identified risk from thermal insulation impacts does not pose a threat to the operation of the external tank.” “the ET is safe to fly with no new concerns (and no added risk)” of further foam strikes).
Video footage obtained during the launch of the STS-107 mission revealed that insulation debris struck the left wing, which could have damaged the space shuttle's insulating coating. By that time, the exact location of the impact was not known due to the low resolution of the recording camera. Despite the risks, at a meeting on October 31, 2002, NASA decided to continue the flight.
Damage assessment
Much attention was paid to assessing the risk of damage to the thermal barrier layer, which was divided into two categories: possible damage to the silicate tiles in the lower part of the wing surface and possible damage to the reinforced carbon fiber panels. NASA specialists had a tool at their disposal to simulate the impact of small projectiles (for example, pieces of ice) on a heat-protective layer. The tool had several shortcomings and omissions, in particular, it was designed to assess the damage left by small, pea-sized pieces of ice, rather than large pieces of insulating foam. Even with these assumptions, calculations showed that in 1 out of 15 cases the thermal protective layer of carbon fiber penetrated through. IN email correspondence management questioned whether the lower density of the insulating foam could be a “mitigating” factor when assessing panel damage. Despite engineers' doubts about the possible high impact energy of the foam, management was confident that through-breaking of the carbon fiber panels was unlikely. Mission control determined that impact from insulating foam was not critical dangerous situation, as a result of which it canceled one of the requests to the Ministry of Defense for the provision of images.
On January 23, flight director Steve Stich sent email to Columbia commander Husband and pilot McCool, dispelling concerns about the safety of returning to Earth.
Shuttle destruction
On February 1, 2003, at 08:15:30 (EST), the space shuttle Columbia began its descent to Earth. At 08:44 the shuttle began to enter the dense layers of the atmosphere. According to the Modular Auxiliary Data System, the leading edge of the left wing began to heat up significantly more than it had in previous Columbia flights. At 08:50:53, Columbia enters a 10-minute period during which the ship's hull is subjected to the heaviest thermal stress. At 08:53:46, debris began to fall off the wing. The plasma surrounding the shuttle suddenly increases the brightness of its glow, and a strong electrical discharge occurs in the bright gas plume of the ship. In the next 23 seconds, a similar phenomenon will occur four more times.
At 08:54:24, the orbiter's mechanical systems and life support operator Jeff Kling (The Maintenance, Mechanical, and Crew Systems (MMACS) officer) discovered a malfunction of four hydraulic system sensors in the left wing plane, showing values below the sensitivity limit (off scale for the minimum ). At 08:59:15, the pressure sensors in both tires of the left landing gear failed. The communications operator (CAPCOM) informed the crew that the Control Center was aware of this fact and was actively looking into the sensor readings, adding that the last message from the board to the flight control group was illegible.
At 08:59:32 the last message from the ship’s commander was sent from on board: “ Roger, uh, bu - [cut off mid-sentence]…" This was the last connection with Columbia. At the same moment, the Mission Control Center received the latest telemetry data. Communications Officer (INCO) Laura Hoppe informs the flight director that this communication interruption is expected and is due to the fact that the shuttle's tail has blocked the ship's antenna from the communications satellite. By 09:00:18, according to amateur video footage, the shuttle was already falling apart into many pieces of debris.
At 09:12:39, the control center receives information that one of the TV channels in Houston is showing live footage of the destruction of the shuttle. An alarm is announced at the control center (the threat of loss of the ship). An emergency procedure begins, in which no one is allowed to leave or enter the control room, and operators are required to retain all available information for subsequent investigation.
Investigation
Primary investigation
The investigation into the cause of the Columbia disaster from the very beginning focused on the impact of the insulating foam. Previous incidents of ice and foam impacts during shuttle liftoffs have been well known and documented (particularly during missions STS-27, STS-45 and STS-87, when the impact damaged the shuttle skin).
Commission to investigate the causes of the disaster
In accordance with the protocols developed after the Challenger disaster, an independent Commission of Inquiry into the Columbia Disaster was created. Columbia Accident Investigation Board, CAIB) .
Beginning on May 30, 2003, the Southwestern Research Institute conducted full-scale tests of firing reinforced carbon fiber panels installed on metal frame, a thermal insulation block corresponding in size and weight to the intended one. Initial information about the disaster indicated that the impact could have occurred in the area of panels 6 to 9. Test impacts on this area only caused cracks and superficial damage panels. After analyzing the data from the ship's recorder, the affected area was limited to only one panel - the eighth. On July 7, during the final full-scale tests, a piece of thermal insulation shot into carbon fiber panel 8 created a hole in it measuring 41 by 42 cm. This showed that the impact received by the Columbia wing during the launch could seriously damage the heat-protective coating of the wing.
Commission findings
Memory
Cultural aspects
see also
Notes
- Columbia Accident Investigation Board. 6.1 A History of Foam Anomalies (PDF) (undefined) (PDF) (August 2003). Retrieved February 26, 2013.
- STS-112 SRB POST FLIGHT/RETRIEVAL ASSESSMENT (undefined) (10 October 2002). Retrieved August 6, 2011.
- Jerry Smelser. STS-112/ET-115 Bipod Ramp Foam Loss, Page 4 (undefined) (PDF) (October 31, 2002). Retrieved August 5, 2011.
"(Challenger - "Challenge") was built in 1982 under the American Space Transportation System program, better known as the Space shuttle. The shuttle was named after the British naval vessel on which in the 1870s years, the first comprehensive oceanographic expedition was carried out.
Structurally, the shuttle consists of three main components - an orbiter (orbiter), which was launched into low-Earth orbit and was a spacecraft, a large external fuel tank and two solid rocket boosters, which operated for two minutes after launch. After entering space, the orbiter independently returned to Earth and landed like an airplane on a runway. Solid fuel boosters were splashed down by parachute and then used again.
The external fuel tank burned up in the atmosphere.
On April 4, 1983, Challenger made its first flight into space. In total, the space shuttle completed nine successful missions.
The tenth launch in January 1986 was Challenger's last. The flight was scheduled for six days. The crew had to launch a communications satellite into space, as well as the Spartan scientific apparatus to observe Halley's Comet, which, after two days of autonomous operation, was planned to be picked up and returned to Earth. The astronauts also had to conduct several experiments on board the ship.
The crew included: the ship's commander, Francis Scobie; pilot Michael Smith; three scientific specialists - Judith Resnick, Ronald McNair, Allison Onizuka; two payload specialists - Gregory Jarvis and Sharon Christie McAuliffe.
McAuliffe was a teacher and this was her first flight into space as an inaugural participant in NASA's Teacher in Space Project. She was supposed to teach two live lessons.
The Challenger space shuttle mission, codenamed STS-51-L, was repeatedly delayed. The launch was originally scheduled for July 1985, then moved to November 1985, and was later delayed to late January 1986.
The launch was scheduled for January 22, 1986, but was repeatedly postponed due to technical problems and unfavorable weather conditions, it was eventually scheduled for January 28.
On the night of January 28, the air temperature dropped below zero. This caused serious concern among the managers of the company involved in the development of solid rocket boosters for the shuttle. The fact is that, structurally, each solid fuel accelerator consists of several sections, the tightness of the connections is ensured by powerful sealing rings and a special sealant. At low temperatures, the material of the intersection seals lost its elasticity and could not provide tightness at the joints of the sections and protect the connection from the effects of hot gaseous combustion products. The company's executives reported their concerns to NASA, but problems with the boosters also occurred on other flights, so the launch was not cancelled.
On the morning of January 28, all the structures of the launch complex were covered with an ice crust, so the launch time was delayed a little - they waited until the ice melted. On January 28, 1986, at 11:38 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, Challenger lifted off.
From takeoff until the shuttle's instrumentation stopped sending electronic pulses to Earth (73.6 seconds after liftoff), the flight appeared to be proceeding normally. At the 57th second of the flight, the control center reported: the engines are operating at full load, all systems are functioning satisfactorily. Voice communication with the crew worked. There were no emergency signals from the flight deck. The first signs of disaster were noted not by instruments, but by television cameras. 73 seconds after launch, the trajectories of numerous debris falling into the sea were clearly visible on the radar screen, and the NASA employee on duty stated: “The ship exploded.”
On the Challenger, the external fuel tank exploded, after which the orbital vehicle was destroyed due to strong aerodynamic loads. The two solid rocket boosters that emerged from the fireball continued to fly until they were given the command from Earth to self-destruct.
Subsequent analysis of the video recording and telemetry data showed that immediately after the launch a stream of gray smoke appeared, emanating from the aft joint of the right solid propellant booster. The more speed the shuttle gained, the larger and darker the plumes of smoke became. The smoke turned black, indicating the destruction of the insulation of the unit and the O-rings sealing the units. At the 59th second of flight, a small flame appeared in the place where smoke was coming out of the accelerator, then it began to grow.
The air flow directed the flames to the lining of the external fuel tank and to the accelerator attachment to it. Inside, the fuel tank was divided in two by a thick partition: on one side there was liquefied hydrogen, on the other - liquefied oxygen (together they formed a flammable mixture that fed the Challenger engine). At the 65th second, the fuel tank was damaged and liquid hydrogen began to leak from it.
At the 73rd second of the flight, the lower accelerator mount failed. It rotated around the top mount and damaged the bottom of the fuel tank. The liquid oxygen located there began to flow out, where it mixed with hydrogen. After this, the fuel tank exploded. At this time, the Challenger was passing through the zone of maximum aerodynamic pressure. Due to overloads, it broke up into several large parts, one of them was the forward part of the fuselage, where the astronauts were. The remains of the shuttle fell into the Atlantic Ocean.
As a result of the search and rescue operation, many fragments of the ship, including the crew compartment, were raised from the ocean floor.
It turned out that some astronauts survived the destruction of the orbiter and were conscious - they turned on their personal air supply devices. Since these devices do not supply air under pressure, if the cabin depressurized, the crew soon lost consciousness. The astronauts could not survive the impact of the living compartment on the water surface at a speed of 333 kilometers per hour, when the overload reached 200 g.
The commission that investigated the disaster named the main reason that led to the tragedy as a malfunction of the o-ring seal of the solid fuel accelerator. Due to the burnout of the ring seal, which did not provide the necessary tightness of the joint at low temperatures, a breakthrough of hot gases occurred. The development of burnout began immediately after the solid fuel accelerator was ignited at the start.
While investigating the disaster, NASA engineers discovered several more problems that could lead to trouble, so the remaining shuttles were modified. Most important change was the development of a new connection of accelerator segments with three sealing rings and a more efficient fastening. In addition, new reporting methods were introduced that encouraged employees to contact senior management if they believed there was a threat to flight safety.
The tragedy led to the cessation of shuttle flights for 2.5 years.
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Everyone knows that space flights involve a high risk to life. Superfluous to that confirmation is the disaster of the space shuttle Columbia. But, unlike other similar incidents, there are especially many mysterious understatements associated with this tragic incident. Let's still figure out how the Columbia shuttle accident occurred.
History of the Shuttle Columbia
Before covering the final flight of the space shuttle Columbia, let's take a quick look at its history. This will allow us to learn more nuances about the tragedy.
The reusable shuttle Columbia began to be built as part of the NASA program in 1975. The work was completed in 1979.
It is noteworthy that Columbia was the first vehicle of the Space Shuttle program. This program intended to be used for travel into space the new kind transport - space shuttles, the shape of which was very similar to the design of an airplane. Unlike earlier generations of spacecraft, the shuttles could make not one, but many flights into space. Before this, NASA scientists launched vehicles of a similar class as part of the Enterprise program, flying within the boundaries of the earth’s atmosphere.
The shuttle Columbia was named after the ship that explored the shores of British Columbia at the end of the 18th century.
The launch of the shuttle took place in 1981. This was the first flight made by an American spacecraft in the last 6 years. In the NASA code classification it was assigned the number STS-1.
Each subsequent flight within the Space Shuttle program was assigned the following number. The last flight of the space shuttle Columbia in 2003, the 28th in a row, had the serial number STS-107 in NASA numbering.
The design of the shuttle Columbia
As mentioned above, the Columbia shuttle, however, like all spaceships of this type, had the shape of an airplane.
Columbia differed from later shuttles in that it was heavier and lacked a docking module. Thus, the device could not dock with either the Mir station or with
The shuttle was launched into space using a solid rocket booster. In addition to the spacecraft itself and the two-rocket booster, the design included a very large fuel tank filled with liquid oxygen and hydrogen. The separation of the rocket booster occurs at an altitude of 45 km, and the fuel tank at an altitude of 113 km.
The orbital rocket plane had a length of slightly more than 37 m, a wingspan of about 24 m, and a mass without payload of 68.5 tons.
Mission STS-107
The 2003 mission STS-107 was the 113th flight of the American Space Shuttle program and the 28th flight of the space shuttle Columbia.
The mission of this expedition was a complex of various observations of the Earth, as well as microgravity experiments (Extended Duration Orbiter and Freestar). The shuttle Columbia (2003) had the Spacehab research module (SPACEHAB), which was an additional payload. The module served so that during flights in space, astronauts could carry out various studies in it.
Crew
Now let's find out what the crew of STS-107 was like. It consisted of seven people: five men and two women. Six of the crew members were US citizens, one was from Israel.
American astronaut Richard Husband was the crew commander. At the time of the flight he was 45 years old. This was Husband's second flight. His first expedition into space occurred in 1999 as part of flight STS-96 on the Discovery shuttle.
His compatriot, forty-one-year-old William McCool, served as co-pilot. He had extensive service in the US Navy. McCool was the youngest participant in the flight.
American astronaut David Brown was a flight specialist. The 46-year-old cosmonaut was the oldest among his compatriots participating in the flight. David Brown had a medical degree and acted as a physician. Like the previous astronaut, this was David's first flight into space.
Forty-two-year-old Indian-American Kalpana Chawla already had experience in space flight. She participated in the STS-87 expedition in 1997, on the same shuttle Columbia on which she was to die in 2003. By the way, the first Leonid Kadenyuk took part in the same expedition. Thus, Chawla became the first woman of Indian origin (though not an Indian citizen) to fly in space. On the STS-107 mission, she held the position of flight engineer.
For forty-three-year-old American Michael Philip Anderson, this was also his second flight into space. He took part in the STS-89 expedition in 1998 on the shuttle Endeavor along with Russian Salizhan Sharipov. Anderson had an engineering degree and was a pilot in the United States Air Force, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel. On the STS-107 expedition, he was the payload commander, that is, he was responsible for research work.
Laurel Clark was the second of two women who took part in the STS-107 expedition. She was an American civilian and was 40 years old. She was a physician by training, but had never participated in space expeditions before. During the expedition she served as a zoology specialist.
Israeli citizen Ilan Ramon was a foreign specialist specially invited by NASA. At the time of the flight he was 48 years old, that is, he was the oldest member of the crew. Ramon was educated as an electronics and computer technology, and was also a pilot in the Israeli Air Force. This was his first space flight, in which he received the position of payload specialist, that is, together with Michael Anderson he took part in scientific research. In addition, thanks to this flight, Ilan Ramon became the first Israeli astronaut.
Most of the crew members had children.
Start
Expedition STS-107 launched into space on January 16, 2003 from Florida, US. The launch pad number is 39-A.
During takeoff, a piece of the shuttle's insulating coating came off. He struck the tiles of the thermal protective shell of the Columbia's left wing. But NASA experts did not consider this circumstance a serious incident that could somehow change the flight plan or put the lives of crew members at risk. But later this episode was considered as one of the versions of the causes of the disaster.
Flight
During the flight, the team as a whole coped with all the assigned tasks, which included more than 80 different scientific experiments. The expedition lasted 15 days and 22 hours. This is the standard flight time for shuttle class ships. During this time, Columbia made 255 orbits around the Earth with a total length of about 1,600,000 km. The flight took place around the Earth in an orbit at an altitude of 307 km.
On February 1, 2003, after all tasks were completed, the shuttle landing procedure began at the scheduled time.
Catastrophe
How did the Columbia shuttle disaster happen?
At 8:10 a.m. Eastern Time (MCC) allows the Columbia shuttle crew to begin the spacecraft landing procedure. Five minutes later, the engines of the orbital maneuvering system are launched, which was supposed to ensure the descent. Another half hour later, Columbia entered the dense layers of the Earth's atmosphere.
At 8:48 a.m., the left wing temperature sensor observes an abnormal increase in thermal readings for similar descents. But for some reason the data was not transferred to the control center or displayed on the on-board computer screens. The only way we now know about rising temperatures is the black box.
At 8:53 a.m., debris begins to fall off the shuttle. And only a minute later the MCC sensors showed an abnormal change in parameters. From time to time, observers notice bright flashes of light around Columbia.
At 8:58 a.m., an insulating tile fell off the ship. At 8:59, the last communication session with the shuttle commander is terminated. At 9:00 the Columbia falls apart in the sky. At 09:05, debris from the shuttle fell to the ground in the territory American state Texas.
This is a short list of events that culminated in the disaster of the space shuttle Columbia. In this tragedy, none of the crew members had a chance to survive.
After the disaster
After the crash, when general outline It was already possible to assess the scale of what happened; on February 1, 2003, at 11:00, all flags were lowered at the Space Center. Two and a half hours later, an official announcement of the accident followed. The tragedy of the space shuttle Columbia prompted US President George W. Bush to address the nation at 1:05 p.m. that same day. He expressed condolences to the families of the victims and also paid tribute to the heroism of the crew members.
Immediately after the crash, the search for the remains of the ship began. Officially, more than 500 people took part in them. The search was complicated by the fact that parts of the shuttle were scattered over a fairly large area, covering the states of Texas, Louisiana, California, and Arizona. In total, about 12,000 pieces of debris were found. Among other things, a device was discovered that replaces the black box.
The remains of the bodies of all crew members were found.
Investigation of causes and conclusions
Initially, several causes of the disaster were considered, but the possibility of a terrorist attack was immediately ruled out, since it was technically almost impossible to carry out one. Although at one time there was even a version spread on the Internet that the shuttle crash was due to the introduction of a computer virus into the shuttle system. But this version did not stand up to criticism.
During the investigation, the investigation abandoned three versions that were previously included in the main ones. According to one of them, the crash occurred as a result of the “aging” of the shuttle design. According to another version, the cause of the accident was the shuttle’s too steep and abrupt entry into the atmosphere. According to the third, the accident occurred due to a failure of the braking system. But, as mentioned above, over time various reasons these assumptions were abandoned.
There are two main versions left. According to one of them, the crash occurred due to damage to the thermal insulation coating, which occurred during the launch of the shuttle. According to the second, damage to the thermal coating occurred in space due to a meteorite.
The final conclusion, which was read out in August 2003, stated that the disaster occurred due to the destruction of the shuttle's left wing by hot gases that penetrated into its cavity due to damage to the thermal insulation.
Consequences
The main consequences of the tragedy were that NASA employees paid more attention to the safety issues of spacecraft and their crews. This thesis was outlined in particular detail at the very end of 2008 in a special NASA report.
The Columbia disaster, the Challenger disaster in 1986, and numerous problems during subsequent flights forced NASA to cancel the Space Shuttle program in 2011.
Memory
At the same time, the memory of the heroic astronauts who were members of the shuttle crew lives on to this day.
One of the Swiss rock bands released a composition in 2005 that was dedicated to this disaster. And two years earlier, a member of the popular British group Deep Purple recorded a dedication composition, the rights to which he transferred to the relatives of the deceased astronauts.
Also, one of the supercomputers used by NASA, Columbia, was named after the shuttle. One of the peaks of Mount Kit Carson in Colorado was named Columbia Point.
The meaning of the disaster
The Columbia shuttle disaster became a significant phenomenon in its time. American society. It showed the unreliability of the shuttles and the entire flight system that NASA used at that time.
It was this disaster that became one of the reasons due to which the question of closing the Space Shuttle program was raised.
