Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live At Daybreak
Mars Rover Lifts Off
Aired July 08, 2003 - 05:37 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.
KRIS OSBORN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, NASA finally took advantage of its opportunity. After two weeks of delays, the Mars Rover lifted off. It's the second craft sent to mars after Spirit was launched in early June. Opportunity is expected to reach mars in late January.
And while NASA has its mission to mars well under way, they're still looking for answers about what could help the shuttle program back into space.
Our Miles O'Brien has the latest on a test that may provide the final piece of the puzzle in the Columbia disaster.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It struck like a thunderbolt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five, four, three, two, one, zero.
O'BRIEN: And left behind a gaping hole and some slackened jaws.
SCOTT HUBBARD, COLUMBIA ACCIDENT BOARD MEMBER: What we got was something completely unexpected.
O'BRIEN: In a test that crash investigators say faithfully recreated what happened to the Space Shuttle Columbia 82 seconds after launch, the team looking for the cause of the orbiter's demise hit pay dirt.
HUBBARD: I believe that we have found the smoking gun. I believe that we've established that the foam block that fell off of the external tank was, in fact, the most probable cause, the direct cause of the Columbia accident.
O'BRIEN: The insulating foam fell off Columbia's external fuel tank and struck the leading edge of her left wing at a relative speed of 500 miles an hour. NASA's shuttle team knew about the foam strike shortly after launch, but presumed the light material could not pierce the tough carbon panels that protect the wings.
But take a look at this view captured during the test by a camera mounted inside the wing mockup. It's clear proof Columbia flew more than two weeks with a huge hole in its wing.
HUBBARD: I felt surprised at how it appeared, such a dramatic punch through. But it is the kind of damage, the type of damage that must have occurred to bring down the orbiter.
O'BRIEN: A hole like this, 16 inches across, would have allowed 3,000 degree plasma to blow torch the aluminum structure of the wing during reentry. Investigators believe the hole on Columbia's wing might have been a little smaller, perhaps 10 inches in diameter. But they still say this test leaves little room for doubt Columbia and her crew of seven were doomed one minute and 22 seconds into their mission.
Miles O'Brien, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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 July 8, 2003 - 05:37 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KRIS OSBORN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, NASA finally took advantage of its opportunity. After two weeks of delays, the Mars Rover lifted off. It's the second craft sent to mars after Spirit was launched in early June. Opportunity is expected to reach mars in late January.
And while NASA has its mission to mars well under way, they're still looking for answers about what could help the shuttle program back into space.
Our Miles O'Brien has the latest on a test that may provide the final piece of the puzzle in the Columbia disaster.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It struck like a thunderbolt.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Five, four, three, two, one, zero.
O'BRIEN: And left behind a gaping hole and some slackened jaws.
SCOTT HUBBARD, COLUMBIA ACCIDENT BOARD MEMBER: What we got was something completely unexpected.
O'BRIEN: In a test that crash investigators say faithfully recreated what happened to the Space Shuttle Columbia 82 seconds after launch, the team looking for the cause of the orbiter's demise hit pay dirt.
HUBBARD: I believe that we have found the smoking gun. I believe that we've established that the foam block that fell off of the external tank was, in fact, the most probable cause, the direct cause of the Columbia accident.
O'BRIEN: The insulating foam fell off Columbia's external fuel tank and struck the leading edge of her left wing at a relative speed of 500 miles an hour. NASA's shuttle team knew about the foam strike shortly after launch, but presumed the light material could not pierce the tough carbon panels that protect the wings.
But take a look at this view captured during the test by a camera mounted inside the wing mockup. It's clear proof Columbia flew more than two weeks with a huge hole in its wing.
HUBBARD: I felt surprised at how it appeared, such a dramatic punch through. But it is the kind of damage, the type of damage that must have occurred to bring down the orbiter.
O'BRIEN: A hole like this, 16 inches across, would have allowed 3,000 degree plasma to blow torch the aluminum structure of the wing during reentry. Investigators believe the hole on Columbia's wing might have been a little smaller, perhaps 10 inches in diameter. But they still say this test leaves little room for doubt Columbia and her crew of seven were doomed one minute and 22 seconds into their mission.
Miles O'Brien, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
