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CNN Live At Daybreak
What Comes Next in Columbia Investigation?
Aired February 04, 2003 - 06:52 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: Now we have to get back to our coverage of the Columbia tragedy, though. There are so many unanswered questions about what comes next.
And we turn to space policy analyst Nick Fuhrman for his insights.
Thanks for joining us again.
NICK FUHRMAN, SPACE POLICY ANALYST: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: We want to clear up some of the questions that people continue to have about this. Investigators found the nose cone of the shuttle in a field in Texas. Why is this so important?
FUHRMAN: Well, certainly it's a visible piece of hardware from the shuttle. But, you know, if you are following the theory that the foamsicle (ph), you know, fell off and traveled back on the shuttle, one of the first places you would look for an impact would be on that nose cone.
COSTELLO: Oh, so after they dig -- because it's pretty deep in the ground.
FUHRMAN: Right, and they'll be able to do chemical tests to see whether there's any residue from the foam insulation and so this is a piece of the puzzle. It may not be definitive, but it's important right now.
COSTELLO: Yes. And the shuttle doesn't have a black box like airplanes do, per se.
FUHRMAN: No.
COSTELLO: Would there be anything inside that nose cone that might, I don't know, show them electronically about something that might have gone wrong?
FUHRMAN: You'd hope. But more likely than anything it's going to be a materials research kind of an effort. They're going to take any residue off of that nose cone, separate it from the soil that it's jammed into, but then they're going to be able to find out whether there's any foam residue from the insulation tank.
COSTELLO: OK. Speaking about that foam insulation, I think a lot of people don't understand how in the heck can a piece of foam damage the shuttle so badly that it could crash upon landing. How is that possible?
FUHRMAN: Well, the shuttle is actually a fabulous machine in that every single ounce is optimized. There is not a bit of weight on the shuttle that isn't needed. And so the tiles on the shuttle, the insulating tiles, the thermal protection system, is extremely light. All of those tiles that, you know, we've seen here on the air and that we've talked about, you know, weigh like Styrofoam. And so they would absorb water in a launch if there was rain.
COSTELLO: Now, and that's...
FUHRMAN: And so we don't launch in the rain.
COSTELLO: That's something I want to dwell on for just a second because it's interesting.
FUHRMAN: They're very sensitive.
COSTELLO: You said a hard rain could make those tiles fall off the shuttle.
FUHRMAN: Yes, a good hard rain with the velocity of the shuttle going up. You can see the rain drops, you know, penetrating into cracks in the tiles, putting weight there and they would all fall off.
COSTELLO: Another good analogy that we have now...
FUHRMAN: So we don't launch in the rain.
COSTELLO: Yes, exactly. Now I can see why.
But as far as this foam hitting a tile and dislodging it, it's sort of like if you're riding a motorcycle and a bug hits you. It really hurts.
FUHRMAN: Oh, yes.
COSTELLO: If you're standing still, it doesn't hurt as much. And that's sort of the same kind of thing that happened, supposedly happened when this piece of foam came off as the shuttle was lifting off.
FUHRMAN: You've got two things. You've got the actual velocity going up. You have the vacuum that's created by the thrust of the rocket boosters pulling everything back down. So if a foamsicle hit, you know, any part of the under gear --
COSTELLO: A combination of ice on the shuttle and the foam insulation together.
FUHRMAN: Yes, and it's not the weight or even the hardness of the ice. It's probably the velocity at which this may have occurred.
COSTELLO: I understand.
FUHRMAN: And that's going to be important to look at, too. COSTELLO: OK.
Let's talk about the future of the space program now, because I know a lot of people are wondering about that. I mean should it go on? We know NASA's budget is comparatively small when you look at it and it doesn't seem like it's going to get any more money. So is it worth sending future missions up if the space program can't adequately take care of its vehicles?
FUHRMAN: Well, we get a lot out of the science in the space program. We get a lot out of the research that was done. On this mission alone, there were 80 experiments, mostly looking at what happens to people in zero gravity, but also looking at what happens to molecules and brain function and in...
COSTELLO: I think it's hard for people to understand how that applies...
FUHRMAN: It allows us...
COSTELLO: ... to ordinary life, though.
FUHRMAN: Well, you know, when you grow a protein crystal in space, it allows you to determine where a drug needs to be addressed. Drugs are now being designed to the molecular level and you can actually see exactly where a piece of aspirin is going to adhere in your brain and make you feel better.
COSTELLO: Unbelievable.
FUHRMAN: Using protein crystals from space.
COSTELLO: So you're saying it's important these missions continue?
FUHRMAN: I think it's important for the science that we continue looking at it.
COSTELLO: Nathan, you're going to be back with us tomorrow.
We appreciate it.
Always fascinating.
FUHRMAN: Thanks, Carol.
COSTELLO: Thanks so much.
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 4, 2003 - 06:52 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now we have to get back to our coverage of the Columbia tragedy, though. There are so many unanswered questions about what comes next.
And we turn to space policy analyst Nick Fuhrman for his insights.
Thanks for joining us again.
NICK FUHRMAN, SPACE POLICY ANALYST: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: We want to clear up some of the questions that people continue to have about this. Investigators found the nose cone of the shuttle in a field in Texas. Why is this so important?
FUHRMAN: Well, certainly it's a visible piece of hardware from the shuttle. But, you know, if you are following the theory that the foamsicle (ph), you know, fell off and traveled back on the shuttle, one of the first places you would look for an impact would be on that nose cone.
COSTELLO: Oh, so after they dig -- because it's pretty deep in the ground.
FUHRMAN: Right, and they'll be able to do chemical tests to see whether there's any residue from the foam insulation and so this is a piece of the puzzle. It may not be definitive, but it's important right now.
COSTELLO: Yes. And the shuttle doesn't have a black box like airplanes do, per se.
FUHRMAN: No.
COSTELLO: Would there be anything inside that nose cone that might, I don't know, show them electronically about something that might have gone wrong?
FUHRMAN: You'd hope. But more likely than anything it's going to be a materials research kind of an effort. They're going to take any residue off of that nose cone, separate it from the soil that it's jammed into, but then they're going to be able to find out whether there's any foam residue from the insulation tank.
COSTELLO: OK. Speaking about that foam insulation, I think a lot of people don't understand how in the heck can a piece of foam damage the shuttle so badly that it could crash upon landing. How is that possible?
FUHRMAN: Well, the shuttle is actually a fabulous machine in that every single ounce is optimized. There is not a bit of weight on the shuttle that isn't needed. And so the tiles on the shuttle, the insulating tiles, the thermal protection system, is extremely light. All of those tiles that, you know, we've seen here on the air and that we've talked about, you know, weigh like Styrofoam. And so they would absorb water in a launch if there was rain.
COSTELLO: Now, and that's...
FUHRMAN: And so we don't launch in the rain.
COSTELLO: That's something I want to dwell on for just a second because it's interesting.
FUHRMAN: They're very sensitive.
COSTELLO: You said a hard rain could make those tiles fall off the shuttle.
FUHRMAN: Yes, a good hard rain with the velocity of the shuttle going up. You can see the rain drops, you know, penetrating into cracks in the tiles, putting weight there and they would all fall off.
COSTELLO: Another good analogy that we have now...
FUHRMAN: So we don't launch in the rain.
COSTELLO: Yes, exactly. Now I can see why.
But as far as this foam hitting a tile and dislodging it, it's sort of like if you're riding a motorcycle and a bug hits you. It really hurts.
FUHRMAN: Oh, yes.
COSTELLO: If you're standing still, it doesn't hurt as much. And that's sort of the same kind of thing that happened, supposedly happened when this piece of foam came off as the shuttle was lifting off.
FUHRMAN: You've got two things. You've got the actual velocity going up. You have the vacuum that's created by the thrust of the rocket boosters pulling everything back down. So if a foamsicle hit, you know, any part of the under gear --
COSTELLO: A combination of ice on the shuttle and the foam insulation together.
FUHRMAN: Yes, and it's not the weight or even the hardness of the ice. It's probably the velocity at which this may have occurred.
COSTELLO: I understand.
FUHRMAN: And that's going to be important to look at, too. COSTELLO: OK.
Let's talk about the future of the space program now, because I know a lot of people are wondering about that. I mean should it go on? We know NASA's budget is comparatively small when you look at it and it doesn't seem like it's going to get any more money. So is it worth sending future missions up if the space program can't adequately take care of its vehicles?
FUHRMAN: Well, we get a lot out of the science in the space program. We get a lot out of the research that was done. On this mission alone, there were 80 experiments, mostly looking at what happens to people in zero gravity, but also looking at what happens to molecules and brain function and in...
COSTELLO: I think it's hard for people to understand how that applies...
FUHRMAN: It allows us...
COSTELLO: ... to ordinary life, though.
FUHRMAN: Well, you know, when you grow a protein crystal in space, it allows you to determine where a drug needs to be addressed. Drugs are now being designed to the molecular level and you can actually see exactly where a piece of aspirin is going to adhere in your brain and make you feel better.
COSTELLO: Unbelievable.
FUHRMAN: Using protein crystals from space.
COSTELLO: So you're saying it's important these missions continue?
FUHRMAN: I think it's important for the science that we continue looking at it.
COSTELLO: Nathan, you're going to be back with us tomorrow.
We appreciate it.
Always fascinating.
FUHRMAN: Thanks, Carol.
COSTELLO: Thanks so much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
