“bubbles,” Firing Room observation areas, 19–20
Budarin, Nikolai, 264
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, 69
Bush, Laura, 237
Bush, President George W., 56, 70, 79–80, 115, 235, 237, 267, 272
Cabana, Robert, 20, 45–46, 57
Cain, LeRoy, 37, 45–47, 278
canine search teams, 124
Cape Canaveral, 4
“Cape Crusader,” 40, 210
Carswell Naval Air Station, 63, 104, 153
Castleman, Ron, 70
Chadwick, Kirstie McCool, 243
Challenger
accident of, ix–x, 4–5, 7, 39
anniversary of accident, 256
experience with, xi
need to be vigilant, 293
as part of space shuttle fleet, 8
precautions after, 21, 28
storage of debris, 252
wreckage turned in, 150
Challenger/Columbia reconstruction compared, 212–214
Chamberland, Chris, 221
Chandler, Michael, 78
Chandra X-ray Observatory, xi, 293
Chawla, Kalpana “KC,” 10, 237, 293
Chickasaw, 191
Choctaw, 192, 202
Ciannilli, Mike, 180–181, 193–195, 224, 259–260, 282, 287
Cipoletti, John, 194
Civil Air Patrol, 153
Clark, CDR Laurel, 10, 237, 291–293
Clark, Jon, 282
cockpit video of reentry, 154–155
cockpit window frame found, 160
Cohrs, Greg
call to report for duty, 75–76
on debris continuing to be found, 255–256
emotional and physical toll on, 124, 129–132, 202
illness at end of recovery effort, 202
in front of cameras, 119
importance of tight searching pattern, 113
lessons learned, 284, 287–288
monitors weather data, 179
Orbiter Experiment system (OEX) recorder, 188–190
organizes search teams, 80, 93, 107–108, 113, 124–129
Recovery Day 1, 55–56
startled from sleep by noise, 43
thank-you dinner, 203–204
thoughts on being in Hemphill, 49
transitioned to another team, 130
unwillingness to leave work unfinished, 240
Cohrs, Sandra, 43, 55–56
Cold War, xi
collection centers, 70, 105, 153, 161–162, 185–187
Colley, Jack, 69–70
Collins, Eileen, 199–200, 203–204, 273–276, 291–295
Columbia
analysis of reentry problems w. damaged heatshield, 33
anniversary of accident, 256
concerns about reentry, 34
consequences of foam strike, 25–33
failure to land, 3–6
first flight, ix
Landing Day, “go” to return to KSC, 36–37
launch, 23–24
mission preparation, 14–15
mission STS-107, 9
nose cap retrieval, 143, 146–147
path of breakup and debris, 95
payloads, 8
projected reentry, 38
propellant tank found, 147
reentry and loss, 291
STS-1, intelligence images, 30
tank jettison imagery, 25
unusual telemetry readings, 41–42
Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB)
activated, 65
announces cause of accident, 203
and debris testing, 162
feasibility of rescuing crew, 266
orders foam strike tests, SwRI, 244–247
recommendations and NASA, 272
report on accident, 242–243, 264–265
on-site at reconstruction hangar, 214–215
tours debris field, 116
Columbia Preservation Team, 254–256
Columbia Research and Preservation Office, 256, 259–263
Comer, Jim, 210, 220, 244, 254–257, 260, 281, 286
commemorations in TX communities, 280
Commercial Crew Program, 277–278
communication problems, search crews, 108–109, 129, 143
Community Coffee, 142
Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, xi
Constellation Program, 272, 277
Cooper, Marsha
commemorative efforts, 281–282
cow manure investigation, 106
Discovery launch, 274
finds crew remains, 94
helicopter crash, 196–197
lessons learned, 288
takes media to nose cap retrieval, 146
thank-you dinner, 203–204
trauma of crew remains retrieval, 243
Corsicana, 44, 104, 173, 199, 203
counseling for searchers, 241
countdown simulations, 251
Covey, Richard, 272
Cowart, Jon, 210, 249–250, 286
Creek, 192
Crew, STS-107
astronauts, 10–11
children of, 21
families of, Landing Day, 46, 52–53
families visit reconstruction hangar, 247–250
feasibility of rescuing crew, 267–269
handling of remains, 63, 101–102
honored in TX, 280
laid to rest, 237–239
learns of foam strike, 31–32
recovery of remains, 92–99, 108, 123, 125, 130, 133–134
remembers Challenger and Apollo 1, 32–33
spouses fly to TX to thank searchers, 200–201
at TCDT week, 15–17
transfer of remains to Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, 117
“crew equipment interface test,” 14–15
Crew Exploration Vehicle (Orion), 272
crew module breakup, 225–226
crew patch
STS-107, 94
STS-114, 275
crew quarters, KSC, 6, 40, 46, 52, 54, 57–58, 63
crew survivability investigation, 257–259
Crippen, Capt. Robert L., ix–xii, 155
Crippen, Susan, ix
Critical Incident Stress Management network, 173
Crookshanks, Clint, 88–90, 147
Currie, Nancy, 110
Custer, George, 192
Dale, Ronnie, 196
Davis, Lyle, 231
“Day 2 object,” 33, 151, 159
debris loan program, 256–257
debris retrieval
agency coordination, 147–149
analysis of reentry videos, 158–159
assessment of, 139–141
cockpit window frame found, 160–161
crew personal items, 144–145, 162
debris reconstruction, 139–140
debris search field and teams, 159–160
emphasis on left wing retrieval, 152–154, 163–164
guidelines for, 149–150
hazardous materials, 145
importance of, xi
possible western US sightings, 141–142
recovery operations wind down, 202–206
Stephen F. Austin State University support, 150–151
thefts of shuttle wreckage, 150, 325–326
videotape cassette found, 154–155
debris search path, 96, 168–171
decontamination site at reconstruction hangar, 209
Department of Criminal Justice, 124
Department of Defense, 22
Department of Defense Manned Spaceflight support group, 63
Department of Homeland Security, 70, 77, 88–90, 226
Department of Public Safety (TX), 130
Diboll Country Club, 203–204
Dickerson, William, 196
disaster mortuary team, 142
Discovery, 8, 246, 274–275, 279
Dittemore, Ron, 62, 65–67, 80, 140, 158, 165
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Drug Enforcement Administration, 72
Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards AFB, 41, 54
Dufour, Paul, 125
East Texas Mutual Aid Association, 67
eBay, debris offered for sale, 79
Eddings, Don, 95, 129–130, 132, 161
educational use of Columbia debris, 254, 256–257, 260, 282
“Eight, Eight, Eight rule,” 111
Ellington Field, 61, 72
Emergency Operations Vehicle, FEMA, 82
emotional response of reconstruction team, 218–221
Endeavour, 8, 15, 270, 279
Ener, Nathan, 143, 146
Engelauf, Phil, 45–46
engine turbopump found, Fort Polk, LA, 185–186
Engineering and Safety Center, Langley Research Center, 273
Enterprise, 246, 279
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
analysis of lake water sample for shuttle contamination, 142
debris retrieval, 145
deploys hazmat teams, 101
inspects debris for dangers to public, 141
involvement in search, 82, 118
mobilizes for two month retrieval effort, 172
restrictions on storage and movement of hazardous materials, 153–154
eulogy for Columbia and crew by Robert Crippen, 155
Evidence Recovery Team, FBI, 108, 142, 145
exclusion zone, launch security, 17–18
Expedition Six, 203–204
Faget, Maxime, 271
failure sequence study, 151–152
families visit reconstruction hangar, 247–250
fault tree analysis of accident, 139, 187
FBI
accident plus 8 hours, 82
Evidence Recovery Team, 108, 142, 145
meets with response personnel to assess priorities, 88–90
terrorism ruled out, 227
Tyler, TX office, 52
feasibility of rescuing crew, 267–269
feasibility of repair in flight, 269–270
Featherstone, Brit, 69
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
accident plus 2 hours 30 minutes, 69–70
accident plus 8 hours, 82
debates with NASA on incident leadership, 92
disaster field office in Lufkin, TX, 72
gears up for two month retrieval effort, 172
meets with response personnel to assess priorities, 88–90
sets up at Barksdale with MIT, 83
sets up command center in Lufkin, TX, 78–79
works to clear debris from public places, 144
Ferguson, Chris, 144–145
Fight Crew Operations Directorate, 57
Fin and Feather Resort, 142
Firing Room, 16, 19–21, 37, 47, 54–55
Fixed Service Structure, 20–21
Flight Control team, Houston, 37
Flight Crew Operations, 162
Florida 3 fire crew, 187–190
Florida Manatees, 244
Florida Marlins, 243
foam shedding, 25–29, 244–245, 265–266, 268, 270, 272, 275–277, 294
foam strike
analysis of, 28–33
and Columbia breakup, 56
conclusive test, 246–247
damage analysis, 28–31
other occurrences involving foam loss, 29
SwRI tests, 244–247
food donations, 120–122
Forest Resources Institute, Stephen F. Austin State University, 150–151
“Forever Remembered,” 260, 282
Fort Polk, 63, 95, 100, 102–104, 174, 186
Fort Worth Naval Air Station, 142
Furr, Jim, 194
Gagen, Denny, 90, 141
Galbraith, Peter, 51, 69
Galileo, xi
Garan, Ron, 154
Gay, Belinda
called in to help with food, 77
commemorative sites, 281
food services and volunteers, 120
takes over meal service organization, 111
thank-you dinner, 203–204
visits Kennedy Space Center for Discovery launch, 274
visits reconstruction hangar, 250
volunteers to search, 90–91
walking with searchers, 94
Gay, Roger
food services and volunteers, 120
Hemphill VFW commander, 77
on support of searchers, 135
thank-you dinner, 203–204
visits reconstruction hangar, 250
visits Kennedy Space Center for Discovery launch, 274
Gehman, Adm. Harold “Hal,” Jr., retired, 64–65, 116, 162, 267–269
Geographical Information System, 149
Gibson, Robert L. “Hoot,” 33
Good, Mike, 61
Of Good Courage, 282
good-luck traditions, 20
Gordon, Mike, 231
Gorie, Dominic “Dom”
aerial crews, searchers, 71–72
arrives at Lufkin, reviews debris reports, 99–100
Collins asks if her crew can join search, 199–200
on compartmentalization, 240
considers Forest Service taking over debris retrieval, 169–170
deploys to Whittle’s team, 62
escorts crew remains, 111
funeral for helicopter crash victims, 197–198
lessons learned, 285
operations organization needed for debris retrieval, 168
reports in on debris findings, 147
takes turn running retrieval effort with Ross, 172
thank-you dinner, 203–204
GPS equipment shortage, 96–97
Gray, Mary Beth, 131
Great Observatories missions, 8
Gregory, Fred, 64, 140–142
grid searching process, 93–94
Griffin, Mike, 270
Grissom, Gus, 220
“ground zero,” Hemphill as, 280
Grunsfeld, John, 95, 97, 122–123, 151, 184
Hale, Wayne, 4, 276
Halsell, James, 157
Ham, Linda, 62
Hamel, Don, 37
Hamilton, Doug, 43–44, 59–60, 67, 97, 196, 284–285
Hanley, Robert
among last people to see Columbia, 41
escorts crew’s children through hangar, 248
interface for crew and teams at KSC, 11
launch day, 20
lessons learned, 287
on possible debris strike, 29
reconstruction hangar, 211
and yellow dinosaur, 222
Harrison, James, 254–256
healing and closure
crew laid to rest, 237–239
foam strike tests, 244–247
focusing on the future, 250–251
returning to normal life, challenges of, 239–243
social events, 243–244
visits to reconstruction hangar, 247–250
heatshield, 25–33, 144
Heflin, Milt, 80
helicopter crash, 195–198
helicopter flights continue, 199
Hemphill. See also VFW Post
citizens care for workers from Kennedy, 128
Cohrs on, 49
collection centers, 104–105, 161–162
communication problems, search crews, 109–110
as “ground zero,” 280–281
incident command center, 124–126, 146–147
logistics problems supporting searchers, 111–115, 134
memorial services for Columbia, 132–133
NASA teams arrive at command center, 97–98
news of final crew remains found, 167
noises during shuttle breakup, 43–44
search camp, 174
volunteers gather to look for crew remains, 90–93
weather radar images showing Columbia debris path, 55
Hemphill First Baptist Church, 73
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Herrington, John, 137, 191, 198, 218
Hesselmeyer, Bob, 100
Hobaugh, Charles, 42
Hoffman, Tom, 185
Holmes, Felix, 177, 196–197, 243
Hooper, Judy, 46, 55
Horowitz, Scott, 96, 122–123
Hubble Space Telescope, xi, xii, 8, 270, 277
Humanities Undergraduate Environmental Sciences (HUES), Stephen F. Austin State Univ., 150–151
Hurricane Katrina, 276
Husband, Col. Rick
burial site, 237
flight to Houston, 17
informed of foam strike, 31
landing day, 36–39
launch day, 22–23
as mission commander, 9–14
practice landings, 39
reentry approach, 38
remembers Challenger and Apollo 1, 32–33
scripture recited before launch, 75, 288
touches mission decal (ritual), 20
transmission cut off mid-word, 42
Husband, Evelyn, 281, 293
Husband, Matthew, 275
Ice Team, KSC 19–20
IKONOS satellite terrain imagery, 163
Iles, Don, 59
Imation Corporation, 189
impact craters, 99–102
implementation of CAIB recommendations, 272–277
incident management teams (IMTs), 168–170, 175, 182
Indian Mounds Wilderness Area, 156–157
intelligence community photos, 30
International Space Station and Space Shuttle Mishap Interagency Investigation Board, 65
International Space Station (ISS)
assembled by shuttle crews, x, xii, 171, 293
Columbia needed to fly mission to, 15, 34
completed by shuttle missions, 271–272
Discovery docking, 275
final shuttle missions, 277
live video message to Lufkin celebration, 203–204
Progress ship delivers supplies, 115–116
remains manned, 273
schedule to complete impacted by disaster, 46–47
International Space Station Program Office, 7
Iraq War, 167, 169
ISS Expedition 6, 264
Ivins, Marsha, 96, 211, 220, 281
Jasper
collection center, 105, 162
in East Texas Mutual Aid Association, 67
stores provide needed supplies, 97, 122, 128
support of water search, 142, 181
Jett, Brent, 103–104, 107, 123, 132, 152–153, 285
Johnson, Greg “Ray J,” 61, 70–71
Johnson Space Center (JSC). See also crew; debris retrieval
accident plus 1 hour, 61
debris reconstruction, 139–140
debris retrieval, xi
developing heatshield inspection techniques, 272–273
encourages staff volunteers, 124
landing day, 36–37
memorial services for Columbia, 115–116
requests for Columbia material for study, 257
Space Shuttle Program, ix, 11
Joshua 1:9, 75, 288
Kelly, Jim, 200, 291
Bringing Columbia Home Page 35
