NASA remembers trio of tragedies
Near the end of January every year, NASA has a Day of
Remembrance to mark the solemn anniversaries of three of its
most stunning tragedies.
The first occurred on Jan. 27, 1967, during a pre-flight test for
the Apollo 1 mission that had been slated to launch Feb. 21, 1967.
Astronauts Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Edward White and Roger
Chaffee were inside the spacecraft as it sat on the launch pad at
Cape Canaveral. Several hours and several problems into their
launch rehearsal, a fire suddenly broke out in the spacecraft.
Within seconds, the fire spread throughout the cabin and filled
the space with a lethal mixture of carbon monoxide, smoke and
fumes. Because the hatch door could only open inward, a feat
made impossible by the high pressure inside the cabin, escape
attempts were thwarted, and all three astronauts perished. The
resulting investigation led to significant changes in the command
module and launch pad procedures. These included a new
quick-operating hatch design that opened outward; the use of
an oxygen-nitrogen mix rather than 100 percent oxygen in the
launch pad cabin atmosphere; a major reduction in flammable
materials inside the spacecraft; and the addition of protective
insulation to plumbing and wiring. Manned Apollo flights
resumed in October 1968.
Almost 20 years after the Apollo 1 fire, tragedy rocked NASA
again when on Jan. 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke
up after liftoff killing all seven crew members. On launch day,
media hype was high and classrooms across the nation were
tuned in to watch live as the first teacher-astronaut, Christa
McAuliffe, journeyed into space on the inaugural mission in
NASA’s new Teacher in Space program. Just 73 seconds after
liftoff, spectators at the site and around the world watched in
horror as the shuttle broke up in a plume of smoke and fire. In
addition to McAuliffe, those killed were Francis “Dick” Scobee,
Ron McNair, Michael Smith, Ellison Onizuka, Judy Resnik and
Greg Jarvis. Subsequent investigations concluded that the disaster
was caused when an O-ring seal on the right solid rocket booster
failed in the unusually frigid temperatures on the morning of the
launch. The shuttle program resumed in 1988.
The shuttle program once again faced disaster on Feb. 1, 2003,
when the Space Shuttle Columbia was returning from a 16-day
micro-gravity research mission. During re-entry, the shuttle
disintegrated leaving its seven crew members deceased and
a debris field spread across Texas and Louisiana. Those who
perished in the devastating accident were U.S. astronauts Rick
Husband, Willie McCool, Michael Anderson, Kalpana Chawla,
David Brown and Laurel Clark; and Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon.
On Jan. 16, 2003, Columbia set off on its 28th mission. During
liftoff, a piece of insulating foam on the external fuel tank broke
off and hit the shuttle’s left wing. Investigations following the
accident determined that when the wayward foam struck the wing
it caused a breach in the thermal protection that ultimately led to
the spacecraft’s destruction.
Although these horrifying incidents occurred decades apart, they
share a common legacy. Each was more than a grim reminder of
the dangers of space exploration. Instead, they galvanized NASA
to improve and drove the agency to persevere in its noble pursuit
to discover the secrets of space.
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on the horizon
Eclipse encounters
COURTESY OF NASA
Apollo 1 crew members, from left, Gus Grissom, Edward White and Roger
Chaffee stand near Cape Kennedy’s Launch Complex 34 during training in
January 1967.
COURTESY OF John Unkovich
COURTESY OF NASA
In this photo from Jan. 9, 1986, the Challenger crew takes a break during
countdown training at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Pictured from left
are teacher-in-space Christa McAuliffe, Greg Jarvis, Judy Resnik, Francis
“Dick” Scobee, Ron McNair, Michael Smith and Ellison Onizuka.
On Aug. 21, millions watched in awe as the Moon’s shadow raced along a narrow path
through the heart of the contiguous United States and treated observers to one of the
most inspiring celestial sights — a total solar eclipse. Above, John Unkovich captured this
portrait of totality at 10:41 a.m. MDT in Moran, Wyo., using an Explore Scientific ED80CF,
a Canon EOS 60Da with intervalometer and a Celestron Advanced VX equatorial mount.
Below, this image of the stunning diamond ring phenomenon was taken by Terry Mann in
Casper, Wyo. For more of Mann’s amazing astrophotography, please see the feature on
her work that begins on page 24. The next total solar eclipse that will make landfall in the
lower 48 will occur on April 8, 2024.
COURTESY OF NASA
STS-107 crew members pose for their traditional in-flight crew portrait
aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. From the left on the bottom row are
Kalpana Chawla, Rick Husband, Laurel Clark and Ilan Ramon. From the left
on the top row are David Brown, Willie McCool and Michael Anderson.
Sky ’ s
Up
COURTESY OF Terry Mann
Sky ’ s
Up
January 31 - 60th Anniversary
of Explorer 1 Launch
On Jan. 31, 1958, the United States
entered a new era of space exploration
when it made its first successful satellite
launch. Spurred by the Soviet Union’s
Sputnik achievements, the U.S. fast-
tracked its efforts to launch a spacecraft.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory was
tasked with designing and building the
satellite, while the U.S. Army Ballistic
Missile Agency was responsible for
modifying a rocket to carry the payload.
JPL had Explorer 1 ready to go in less
than three month s.
In addition to being the first U.S.
satellite, Explorer 1 also was the first
spacecraft to detect what would
become known as the Van Allen
radiation belts. Explorer 1 made its final
transmission on May 23, 1958, shortly
before its batteries ran out. It continued
to silently orbit Earth, racking up more
than 58,000 orbits, before reentering
the planet’s atmosphere in March 1970
and burning up.
February 15 - 5th Anniversary
of Chelyabinsk Meteor
Feb. 15 marks the fifth anniversary
of the stunning meteor explosion
that rocked Chelyabinsk, Russia.
Captured in unprecedented detail by
an unsuspecting arsenal of dashboard
and security cameras, the airburst
event released an amount of energy
equivalent to about 500 kilotons
of TNT and generated a massive
shockwave that left thousands of
buildings damaged and around 1,500
injured, mostly from broken glass.
During its impressive streak, the
meteor shone brighter than the Sun
— casting shadows and even causing
some eyewitnesses to reportedly suffer
skin and/or retinal burns.
Experts have estimated the meteor’s
original size was around 62 feet
across with a weight in the ballpark
of 11,000 metric tons. The largest
fragment found weighed in at around
1,300 pounds and was recovered from
the bottom of Lake Chebarkul. This
fragment left a hole more than 23 feet
wide in the lake’s icy covering, which
was more than 2 feet thick.
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