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CNN Live At Daybreak
Columbia Shuttle Tragedy: Investigation
Aired February 03, 2003 - 06:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We begin this half-hour of covering this tragedy with our correspondents in three key locations. Rusty Dornin is at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Mike Brooks at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, and Daryn Kagan is watching things at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
We want to start with the investigation, though, in Houston, Texas with Rusty Dornin -- Rusty.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, of course, scientists here at mission control are sifting through mounds of data and computer files, and coming up with bits and pieces, which they are sharing with the public. It's like they're theorizing out loud. They are a lot more forthcoming than you would imagine.
Now, what they have discovered, that at 7:53, four temperature sensors began measuring a 25 to 30 degree increase in temperature on the left side of the shuttle over a five-minute period. That then increased to 60 degrees.
Now, those changes in temperature triggered a sequence of events.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON DITTEMORE, SHUTTLE PROGRAM MANAGER: At 7:58 a.m. over New Mexico, the roll trim and the elevon (ph) started to increase, indicating that we had an increase in drag on the left side of the vehicle. Does this mean something to us? We're not sure. It can be indicative of rough tile, it can be indicative for perhaps missing tile. We're not sure yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DORNIN: Now, that drag caused the autopilot of the shuttle to command the ship to bank to the right. Shortly after that, all signals with the shuttle were lost. Now, NASA says it is trying to retrieve another 32 seconds of information that could reveal what happened after that signal was lost.
So, there will be another press conference this morning, Carol, that could shed a little bit more light, but they are saying right now that they do believe that the main problem was thermal rather than structural in the breakup of the shuttle.
COSTELLO: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Rusty, you were mentioning a press conference. We want to tell people what time that is set for. The NASA briefing is set for 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time, and remember, you can see it live right here on CNN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 3, 2003 - 06:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: We begin this half-hour of covering this tragedy with our correspondents in three key locations. Rusty Dornin is at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Mike Brooks at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana, and Daryn Kagan is watching things at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
We want to start with the investigation, though, in Houston, Texas with Rusty Dornin -- Rusty.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, of course, scientists here at mission control are sifting through mounds of data and computer files, and coming up with bits and pieces, which they are sharing with the public. It's like they're theorizing out loud. They are a lot more forthcoming than you would imagine.
Now, what they have discovered, that at 7:53, four temperature sensors began measuring a 25 to 30 degree increase in temperature on the left side of the shuttle over a five-minute period. That then increased to 60 degrees.
Now, those changes in temperature triggered a sequence of events.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RON DITTEMORE, SHUTTLE PROGRAM MANAGER: At 7:58 a.m. over New Mexico, the roll trim and the elevon (ph) started to increase, indicating that we had an increase in drag on the left side of the vehicle. Does this mean something to us? We're not sure. It can be indicative of rough tile, it can be indicative for perhaps missing tile. We're not sure yet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DORNIN: Now, that drag caused the autopilot of the shuttle to command the ship to bank to the right. Shortly after that, all signals with the shuttle were lost. Now, NASA says it is trying to retrieve another 32 seconds of information that could reveal what happened after that signal was lost.
So, there will be another press conference this morning, Carol, that could shed a little bit more light, but they are saying right now that they do believe that the main problem was thermal rather than structural in the breakup of the shuttle.
COSTELLO: (UNINTELLIGIBLE), Rusty, you were mentioning a press conference. We want to tell people what time that is set for. The NASA briefing is set for 11:30 a.m. Eastern Time, and remember, you can see it live right here on CNN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
