Space Disasters

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by Michael Woods


  1986. In other words, she would have

  families of those who die. But

  flown on Challenger if McAuliffe had when astronauts die, the whole

  been unable to make the trip. After the

  nation (and often the whole world)

  Challenger accident, Morgan continued mourns. That’s because many

  to teach school. In 1998 she switched

  people think of astronauts as

  careers and became an astronaut.

  heroes. They are smart and skillful

  Morgan flew into space in August 2007

  scientists. When they travel in

  aboard the space shuttle Endeavour. She space, they put their lives on the

  worked as a mission specialist. She also

  line to help people learn more

  conducted video question-and-answer

  about the universe.

  sessions with students on the ground.

  The teacher-in-space program finally

  became a reality.

  28

  “Things started flying around and spinning

  “ around and I heard some oh’

  around and I heard som

  s and ah’

  e oh’

  s,

  s and ah’

  and at that moment

  and at that mom

  I knew something was wrong.

  I knew som

  I felt sick to my stomach.

  —Brian Ballard, Concord High Schoo ”

  —Brian Ballard, Concord High School student,

  who watched the Challenger

  Challenge explosion from the Kennedy Space Center

  explosion from the Kennedy Spa

  }

  People watching on the ground and on

  television saw billowing white smoke as

  Challenger exploded in the sky in 1986.

  ONE-OF-A-KIND DISASTERS

  In addition to the human toll,

  space disasters also cause

  When Disaster

  expensive damage. Space capsules

  Almost Struck

  cost hundreds of millions of

  dollars to build. Space shuttles

  The Apollo 13 spacecraft barely escaped cost billions of dollars.

  disaster in 1970. Apollo 13 was

  Space shuttles are one-of-a-

  carrying three astronauts. They planned

  kind ships. The United States had

  to land on the Moon. After traveling

  only four space shuttles when

  199,990 miles (321,853 km), Apollo 13

  Challenger exploded in 1986.

  suffered an explosion. The explosion

  NASA had a new shuttle built to

  damaged part of the spacecraft, but the

  replace it. That new shuttle,

  astronauts survived. The astronauts

  Endeavour, cost NASA more than

  moved into an undamaged part of the

  $1.7 billion.

  craft, where they had air to breathe.

  After disaster struck Columbia,

  They stayed there for the rest of their

  NASA thought about building a

  journey. They were not able to land on

  replacement. But the cost was too

  the Moon. Instead, Apollo 13 looped

  high. By 2003 it would have cost

  around the Moon and returned to Earth.

  $3 billion to build a new shuttle.

  The astronauts landed safely.

  The U.S. government didn’t want

  Apollo 13 astronauts (left to right) Fred to spend that much money.

  Haise Jr., James Lovell Jr., and John

  Columbia wasn’t replaced. When

  }

  Swigert Jr. barely escaped with their lives.

  space shuttle flights began again in

  2005, astronauts had one less

  shuttle to fly. ( Discovery, Atlantis,

  and Endeavour are the three

  remaining space shuttles.)

  30

  NASA built the space shuttle

  } Endeavourto replace Challenger.

  Endeavour has flown nineteen

  flights, starting in 1992.

  DISASTROUS DELAYS

  NASA uses space shuttles for different types of missions. For instance, in 1993 Endeavour went on a mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.

  The Hubble is a giant telescope that orbits Earth. Scientists use it to explore objects in faraway space. On other shuttle missions, astronauts have launched communications satellites, repaired satellites, and tested scientific equipment in space. When NASA grounds space shuttles, as it did after the Challenger and Columbia disasters, this important work stops.

  One of the biggest jobs for space shuttle crews involves the International Space Station (ISS). The ISS is a large research lab that orbits Earth. It is also a living space. It has facilities for The space shuttle

  sleeping, cooking, washing, and other daily needs. Usually, the

  Discovery docked with

  ISS is home to three or four astronauts. They live at the the International

  station for four or five months at a time. During their stay at Space Station in

  the ISS, astronauts conduct a wide range of scientific December 2006. The

  experiments. The ISS is an international project. The United crews all shared a

  }

  States and fourteen other countries run and staff it.

  meal aboard the ISS.

  32

  The Hubble Space Telescope

  orbits Earth and sends back

  images of faraway objects

  to scientists. Space shuttle

  Discovery went on a repair

  }

  mission to Hubble in 1993.

  Construction began on the ISS in 1998 and is expected to take twelve years to complete. It is being built in stages. Space shuttles bring equipment and new parts from Earth to construct and expand the station.

  Astronauts wearing space suits are the construction workers. They fasten parts of the space station together during space walks. With each shuttle flight, the ISS gets larger.

  Space shuttles deliver food, air, and

  other supplies for the astronauts living

  at the station. Astronauts who live at or

  visit the station also travel by space

  shuttle. Shuttles carry trash and other

  waste material from the ISS back to

  Earth.

  The Columbia disaster grounded the

  U.S. space shuttle fleet for two and a

  half years. Without shuttle flights, the

  }

  ISS could not run normally. Construction projects fell behind The space shuttle Discovery

  schedule. Russian spacecraft delivered a small crew and moves away from the ISS

  supplies to the space station. But the ISS could not operate after completing nine days of

  as planned. Thus the Columbia disaster cost not only human work there in August 2005.

  life but also time, money, and scientific knowledge.

  Astronaut Stephen Robinson

  is anchored to the ISS by a

  foot restraint in August 2005.

  He is repairing the underside

  of the space shuttle Discovery }

  (not pictured). Discovery

  returned to Earth safely.

  34

  Two astronauts work on the ISS during a space

  walk in December 2006. Earth provides a

  }

  colorful backdrop for their mission.

  } The Ariane 5

  rocket launches

  on June 4, 1996.

  In Europe fourteen nations work

  systems on Earth. The four satellites

  together to launch spacecraft and

  cost $500 million to build.

  study space. Their organizati
on is called

  On June 4, 1996, the satellites sat

  the European Space Agency (ESA). In

  on top of Ariane 5, a brand-new

  the 1980s and 1990s, ESA scientists

  rocket. The rocket was supposed to

  worked for ten years to build four

  carry the four satellites into orbit

  special satellites. The satellites were

  around Earth. ESA had spent $7

  supposed to study mysterious particles

  billion to build Ariane 5. That project,

  released by the Sun. These particles

  too, took almost ten years.

  stream through space and hit Earth.

  After all that time and money,

  They can affect weather and electrical

  Ariane finally took off from the

  36

  “All around me, most of the

  “All around m

  spectators fell silent. Two

  T

  French rocket engineers swore . . .

  a woman sobbed.

  —scientist Paul Murdin, witness

  to the Ariane 5 explosion

  ”

  —scientist Paul Murdin, witness

  to the Ariane 5 explosion

  The Ariane 5 rocket

  As Ariane’s heavy top

  exploded about thirty

  tipped over, the craft

  seconds after launching

  bent like a drinking

  }

  (right). Burning

  straw. The craft cracked,

  fragments fell from the

  fuel spilled out of the

  sky (above right).

  crack, and the rocket

  ESA spaceport in the

  exploded.

  territory of French

  “We’re going to lose

  Guiana in South America. The rocket

  this one,” said an ESA worker as

  was big and powerful. Observers

  Ariane blew into pieces. “A shower

  could feel it rumble as it shot upward.

  of . . . glowing fragments sprayed into

  Scientist Paul Murdin watched the

  the sky, trailing smoke and burning

  launch. “There were squeals, oohs,

  fuel,” wrote Paul Murdin. “All around

  scattered applause and cheers as

  me, most of the spectators fell silent.

  Ariane lifted off the launch pad,” he

  Two French rocket engineers

  said. “The liftoff seemed so [normal].

  swore . . . a woman sobbed.”

  Smoke and fumes trailed back to the

  Scientists who had worked on the

  ground as the rocket passed

  satellites for ten years were devastated.

  through [the clouds].”

  “When it happened, there was a shell-

  Disaster struck less than thirty

  shocked silence for at least two

  seconds later. Scientists had made a

  minutes,” said scientist Nick Flowers, mistake in the program (instructions)

  who watched the launch on TV from

  for Ariane’s onboard computer. Instead

  Great Britain. He added, “We just sat

  of steering Ariane straight up, the

  there in silence. It is a loss for a

  computer made Ariane tip to one side.

  generation of space scientists.”

  37

  IN MOST DISASTERS, SUCH AS HURRICANES AND TORNADOES, RECOVERY

  MEANS HELPING VICTIMS GET THEIR LIVES BACK TO NORMAL. PEOPLE MAY

  HAVE NO ELECTRICITY AFTER A HURRICANE OR A TORNADO. THEY MAY

  HAVE NO CLEAN WATER TO DRINK OR NO SAFE PLACE TO LIVE.

  GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND INTERNATIONAL AID GROUPS HELP VICTIMS

  REPAIR THEIR HOMES AND FIND NEW PLACES TO LIVE.

  Space disasters are different. They don’t directly affect large numbers of ordinary people. They usually don’t damage homes and buildings. Instead, space disasters hurt a nation’s space program. The country must ground other space vehicles until workers find and fix the problem that caused the disaster. Of course, recovery workers must clean up at the crash scene. But other workers have to study the crash, identify the problem that caused the crash, and get the space program back to normal.

  PICKING UP THE PIECES

  Recovery usually begins with picking up the pieces at the disaster scene.

  Recovery workers gather up the debris, or wreckage, for many reasons.

  First, the debris will give scientists clues as to what caused the disaster.

  Pieces of wreckage may have burn marks, for instance. Those marks may show that an explosion led to the crash. By studying the marks, scientists can learn why the explosion happened.

  In addition, the wreckage at a crash site may contain dangerous materials. For instance, chemicals inside a spacecraft might be poisonous.

  Gases from the wrecked spacecraft might explode. It’s important to clean up these materials so they don’t hurt anyone on the ground.

  38

  } Crews recover a piece

  of Challenger from the

  Atlantic Ocean.

  The wreckage might also contain the remains of crew members. Crew members’ families want their loved ones’ bodies recovered. They want to bury the remains and hold funerals and memorial services.

  RECOVERING COLUMBIA

  A huge recovery effort began after the Columbia disaster in 2003. Debris from Columbia landed mainly in eastern Texas and western Louisiana. But some debris landed in New Mexico, California, Nevada, and Utah. Workers searched more than 2 million acres (809,400 hectares) to find wreckage and human remains.

  Almost twenty-five thousand workers helped in the search. Some looked for wreckage from the windows of small airplanes and helicopters.

  Others searched on the ground. Divers searched lakes and ponds. It took about three and a half months to finish the job.

  Recovery Delayed

  NASA grounded U.S. space shuttles

  for two and a half years after the

  Columbia disaster. The next shuttle

  to take off, Discovery, launched in

  2005 (right). Everyone at NASA was

  happy when Discovery launched. But

  disaster almost struck again.

  Despite all the investigation and

  study after the Columbia explosion,

  Discovery had the same problem.

  Foam insulation broke off and hit

  Discovery during launch. Luckily,

  there was no disaster this time.

  Discovery safely completed its

  mission. But because of the

  insulation problem, NASA grounded

  the shuttles again until 2006.

  40

  This radar image from the National

  Weather Service shows Columbia breaking

  }

  up and spreading debris over Texas.

  41

  Many of the search workers were NASA employees. Others worked for state governments. Ordinary people also helped. For instance, some restaurant owners gave food and drinks to recovery workers. Some people told NASA about debris that had fallen in their backyards and on their streets.

  The search for Columbia’s wreckage was sometimes dangerous. In wilderness areas, recovery crews had to avoid poisonous snakes and wild hogs. A helicopter crashed during the search. Two crew members died.

  Workers recovered more than 82,500 pieces of wreckage—almost 40

  percent of the spacecraft. Together, the pieces weighed 84,800 pounds (38,465 kilograms). Recovery workers also found the remains of all seven astronauts.

  Lifesavers

  People cannot normally live in space because space doesn’t have any air.

  Without air to breathe, a person will die within minutes. Space also has no air pressure, which is
the weight of air pressing down on Earth. Without air pressure, a person’s body would expand like a balloon. It might even pop. A person in space would also face deadly temperatures and harmful radiation, a kind of energy. Micrometeoroids are tiny bits of rock and dust. They fly through space faster than bullets. A person in space would look like swiss cheese after being hit by micrometeoroids.

  Spacecraft protect astronauts from these threats. Spacecraft have supplies of air for astronauts to breathe. Spacecraft protect astronauts from extreme heat, cold, and radiation. Space suits give astronauts the same protection.

  Astronauts wear space suits during takeoff and landing. They wear space suits when they work outside the ISS. Spacecraft and space suits must be sealed tightly so that air inside does not leak out. A leak can lead to tragedy, such as the Soyuz 11 disaster in 1971.

  42

  “I’m devastated.

  “I’m devastat

  It’s unbelievable. It make

  s unbeliev

  s m

  able. It make

  e so sad

  s m

  .

  —Linda Steed, from Nacogdoches, Texas, a witne

  ”

  —Linda Steed, from Nacogdoches, Texas, a witness to the 2003 shuttle disaster

  }

  A big piece of Columbia’s engine landed in Louisiana in 2003. The 800-pound

  (363 kg) unit fell far to the east of

  most of the rest of the shuttle.

  43

  SPACE DETECTIVES

  After recovering parts of Columbia, NASA workers put the pieces together inside a big building. The reconstruction project helped NASA find out what had caused the disaster.

  Workers also studied photographs

  taken during the launch and the

  explosion. They questioned

  eyewitnesses to the crash. The

  investigation took almost seven

  months. After Challenger exploded,

  more than 120 people investigated

  that disaster for four months.

  After both space shuttle

  disasters, scientists wrote reports

  about why and how the accidents

  }

  had happened. They suggested ways to make spacecraft

  Workers pieced together debris

  safer. For instance, Columbia investigators suggested ways recovered from Columbia inside to keep insulation from peeling off during launch. The a hangar at the Kennedy Space

  Columbia investigators wrote a 250-page report. The Center in May 2003.

  Challenger report filled five thick books.

 

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