Return to Transcripts main page

American Morning

Special Edition, Part I

Aired February 02, 2003 - 07:00   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.


PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: It has been 22 hours and a few seconds since an explosion high over east central Texas signaled a start of a terrible chapter in space exploration.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Seconds after the horrific boom, the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated, raining debris over 6,400 square miles, and today America continues the search for pieces from that mission designed to expand human knowledge in space.

ZAHN: And thanks so much for joining us here this morning. Good morning, I'm Paula Zahn.

HEMMER: And I'm Bill Hemmer. This Sunday edition, a special addition of AMERICAN MORNING. Good to have you with us. Throughout the next five hours here on CNN, we'll join our colleagues Wolf Blitzer, he is in Houston. Daryn Kagan is in Florida at the Kennedy Space Center. Complete coverage about what happened, events of yesterday, 22 hours ago.

ZAHN: Let's get started. We're full flight now. Good morning, Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Paula. The Johnson Space Center very quite right now. People are just beginning to buzz a little bit over here. There will be a briefing later this afternoon, here at the NASA headquarters. Sean O'Keefe, the administrator of NASA, and others will be talking about their preliminary results of this investigation into this horrendous, horrendous disaster.

It was the 28th mission of the space shuttle Columbia, the 115th flight overall of all the various shuttles, 22-year history of these space shuttles. This disaster happening almost exactly 17 years after the space shuttle Challenger was destroyed, killing all seven astronauts on board. That disaster, of course, took place only seconds after liftoff; this disaster took place only 16 minutes before its scheduled arrival at the Kennedy Space Center.

The sense here is grief. There are flowers outside the Johnson Space Center, a makeshift memorial. People are going to be going to church throughout this area. Small community involving NASA astronauts -- all seven of the astronauts who were aboard the Columbia, of course, had lived here over the past several years, training diligently for this mission. Some of them had flown earlier missions; some of them were rookie astronauts, in effect -- all of them of course, now gone. I want to show you the headline special edition of the "Houston Chronicle" that came out -- look at this headline, it says it all -- not much more to say, people here are grieving.

Back to you.

ZAHN: And because the community, Wolf, are so affected by anything related to NASA, I know that the shock is still new, but has anybody expressed concern to you about what the future of the shuttle program might be given this horrendous tragedy?

BLITZER: Well, as you know, Paula, there were enormous questions about the cost of these shuttle programs, $500 million per launch. It -- the cost overruns of the various programs -- each shuttle, like the Columbia was supposed to fly 100 missions. This shuttle was in its 22nd mission. The Columbia was the oldest of all of the shuttles, beginning in the early 1980s.

But, there will be serious questions, and just as the sun is about to come up over the skies at the Johnson Space Center here, there will be a lot of questions that will be asked. There will -- there'll be immediate investigations. Don't be surprised if, in the aftermath of this disaster, just as in the aftermath of the Challenger disaster, President Bush calls a special commission of inquiry to investigate what's going on.

ZAHN: All right, Wolf, stand by; we'd love to come back to you throughout the morning. Thank you very much for that update -- Bill.

HEMMER: Administrators certainly been up all night, looking into the preliminary date right now, for clues to know what possibly went wrong in the final seconds. Again, this is upon the approach in Florida to the east coast of Florida, and Daryn Kagan is there now this morning.

Joining us live outside Florida's Kennedy Space Center. Daryn, good morning to you. Certainly we're not even a day old into this, and the thoughts being expressed as the sun comes up on the dawn of another day -- good morning.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill. You know, this was supposed to be the time right now when the astronauts would be wrapping up their celebration with their families and getting ready to head back to Houston. Instead, things are eerily quiet here at the Kennedy Space Center, and what's taken place instead is the investigation, as Wolf has mentioned. That started (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and that started to get going as soon as it was clear that something went wrong yesterday.

Also, what's happening here, a lot of questions about the future of the space station -- want to take a little walk with you right now, and just over my right shoulder, that is the vehicle assembly building. Inside there is the shuttle Atlantis. It was taken there. The launch was supposed to take place on March 1, as soon as this week, Atlantis was supposed to be moved out onto launch pad. Of course, that is on hold, along with everything else. And one other note, as we look forward, and with questions with the space program, I think something a lot of people didn't know, the next mission for Columbia was to be the mission that was going to take Barbara Morgan up into space, the teacher up in space; that program along with everything else on hold here at NASA and the Kennedy Space Center.

Bill, back to you.

HEMMER: All right, Daryn, thank you. We'll certainly be back in touch with you throughout the course of the morning and the day there in Florida. Daryn, thanks. Here's Paula again.

ZAHN: Five of the seven Columbia astronauts had children, and plans are now already under way to provide for their financial well- being. Officials say a trust fund set up after the 1986 Challenger disaster will be used, and the board will meet tomorrow to begin raising money for the families of Columbia astronauts -- Bill.

HEMMER: NASA, suspending all space flights, pending the investigation of the Columbia tragedy. You might remember, back in 1986, it was two and a half full years before the shuttle program flew again after the Challenger blew up in the few short moments after liftoff in Florida.

A planned launch of a Russian unmanned supply shuttle will go forward -- in fact, today it will go. The Progress M47 being sent into space to resupply the International Space Station. Currently in space, two astronauts, one cosmonaut still on board the space station. We are told they have enough supplies to last until June. If there is an emergency to get out, there are plans also -- contingency plans, where they could use some of the Russian craft to come back to earth. At this point, though, there are no plans for that to take place.

ZAHN: As you know, there was so much talk yesterday about, at least from the public's perception, that these missions have begin somewhat routine. However, the shuttle astronauts courageously accepted the challenges and dangers involved in space travel. Rick Husband, the commander of the Columbia mission, knew it especially well. This was his second flight in space, and just days ago he spoke with our own Miles O'Brien on the status of this mission.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK HUSBAND, ASTRONAUT: Well, things are going really great, Miles, we're having a great time up here. We've had a great ride to orbit, and all the activation of the experiments in the space went extremely well, and we're really -- we've got our space legs and up and running.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: And joining me right now is David Jones, Rick Husband's best friend of more than 30 years. David, thank you very much for joining us at this terrible time that you and Mr. Husband's family faces. First off, can you take us back to yesterday, and exactly where you were when you heard this terrible news?

DAVID JONES, RICK HUSBAND'S FRIEND: Well, oddly enough, we had a -- we live in Lubbock, which is where Rick went to college, and we had stepped out into the street, in front of our home, to look at the shuttle. About 7:55 or so, it came across out sky from west, east/southeast, and we got up there with our -- two of our kiddos, and we're looking up and actually saw it streak across the sky, just in a pretty normal trajectory, and lost it about two-thirds of the way through the sky, through its track, and just thought -- I just had bad vision, because we lost it into the sun, but a little bit perplexed by that. But then went into the house and just waited for a -- to watch it land -- to watch the landing, and it came up and said that, at the top of the hour, they'd lost contact, and that just doesn't happen. So, we knew something wasn't right at that time. So, just fairly difficult time.

ZAHN: I know how close you are to Rick Husband's family. Have you had a chance to speak with his wife, or see any of his children?

JONES: I have, and just outside of saying, they're remarkably resilient group of folks, with a great deal of faith. Rick was a very strong Christian man, and his family, of course, shares that faith, and are very courageous -- of course, sad and aggrieved, and grieving right now, as are all the people in this situation, but incredibly strong, and good people.

ZAHN: I know that...

JONES: Rick is proud, I know.

ZAHN: Well, I know that your friendship is so close; you have said that you were even more proud of accomplishments than your own. Tell us a little bit about his love of flight, his love of science, his love of space.

JONES: I don't know where he's a -- from the time -- even before, my mother taught Rick in elementary school, and she would come home and tell me about this kid that wanted to be an astronaut, and we all kind of laughed, because who knows what they want to be when they're 4 and 5, and 6 or 7 years old, and sticks with it; you know, I wanted to be a fireman, I'm sure, at one time.

But he said he wanted to be an astronaut, and became an astronaut, and he never, he never ever wavered from the course he set for himself. And of course, his faith is a big component of that, because he has a great faith in God, and a great faith in what God wants man to accomplish, and what man can do through him.

ZAHN: I hear that on both of these missions, that you were as nervous as a brother could be for Rick. Tell us a little bit about whether the two of you ever talked openly about the dangers he faced on these missions.

JONES: Well, the last time I saw him was after the July mission was scrubbed because of some -- well, postponed because of some mechanical problems, they were having some cracks in some lines, I think it was. He came out to Lubbock in October, and we just sat and visited about what the mission would mean. And more we talked about faith issues. We shared the same beliefs and same background, so it was easy to talk about that, and, you know, he's a very serene fellow -- he wasn't -- he's pretty laid back -- you heard him as he was talking, I just heard the voice -- the a -- the little piece that you did with him, and you know, great came out a whole lot, he's a -- he was a -- he may have been nervous, but he'd never really expressed it to me, and that was just one of those acceptable risks that he had, that he knew this is what he wanted to do, and since he wanted to do this as badly as he did, and had the passion for it that he did, that he was willing to accept the risks.

And I think it was always in the back of his mind, but certainly not to the degree that's it's come to fruition the last 24 hours or so.

ZAHN: OK, David, we really appreciate you're joining us at this very tough time, and sharing part of Rick's legacy with us this morning. Take care, our best to your family and Mr. Husband's family -- Bill.

JONES: Thanks.

HEMMER: I think one thing that's become abundantly clear in the past 24 hours, is how much of a sense of community this NASA community had -- almost like family, and to listen to them talk about each other -- it's like brother and sister, and it really is heart-warming, given the events that we all witnessed yesterday.

We will continue our coverage here as Sunday edition, special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. In a moment here, countless questions today in going forward here. How will investigators start piecing together what caused the tragedy? In a moment, talk with one of the NASA engineers that investigated the Challenger disaster of 1986. Also, live to Nacogdoches, Texas, much of the debris that could tell the story, and key pieces of evidence possible on the ground there.

Back in a moment here -- again, a special Sunday edition here, of AMERICAN MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The crew of the Shuttle Columbia did not return safely to earth, yet we can pray that all are safely home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, 1986)

RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them this morning this morning as they prepared for their journey and waved good-bye, and slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God. (END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN F. KENNEDY, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving a goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon, and returning him safely to the earth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back to a Sunday edition, special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. We continue to anticipate a number of events happening over the next several hours, and as soon as those events and press briefings come our way and make available to use, we'll certainly pass them along to you.

We will be here until noon Eastern time, covering the latest on the fallout from yesterday -- the Columbia space shuttle tragedy. First, though, want to check in with Heidi Collins. She is in the CNN Center in Atlanta. There is other news in the world today.

(NEWSBREAK)

ZAHN: Joining us now with more on the shuttle Columbia tragedy is Renay San Miguel, who joins us from Atlanta. Renay, good morning.

RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, good morning to you, Paula. Following the Challenger disaster in 1986, it took NASA more than two and a half years to launch again, and then it was Discovery that lifted off in September of 1988.

Joining us now is Randy Avera, a former NASA engineer who was involved in the investigation following Challenger. He was up with us late last night; he has graciously agreed to return early this morning. Thanks for doing that, Randy, we appreciate it.

I'd like to ask you, what do you think a -- do you think it's going to take two and a half years before NASA does fly again, considering the advances since 1986, in computers and software and the like?

RANDY AVERA, FORMER ENGINEER, NASA: The amount of time that it will take to return to flight depends specifically upon the efficiency of the investigation, and how quickly the cause, or combination of causes relate to the design of the vehicle.

Back in 1986, the two-year delay in flying was mostly due to the re-design of the steel structure of the large solid rocket boosters. Each shuttle has two large solid rocket boosters. That had to be re- designed and then, re-machined to make new designs, and then of course, going back into the return to flight program, which was the STS-26 Discovery mission. SAN MIGUEL: How key is the video evidence, as well? You know, there were cameras trained on Challenger as it lifted off, and then 73 seconds into the flight, the cameras caught that terrible blossoming of flame that turned into the disaster there. Now, we're relaying on amateur video, and, you know, news photographer video of the shuttle breaking -- of Columbia breaking up. How key will the video evidence be?

AVERA: The video evidence can be a plus or a minus. For example, when we -- on January the 28th, 1986, as we were reviewing media feeds of TV, actually it was replay of NASA select TV, it was called at the time -- we actually had wrong assumptions, and we were fooled by what we were looking at in the video.

The big lesson learned there was, don't let your eyes fool you in the investigation. The investigators will take that video data, whatever -- whether it's home made video, or professionally done, they will look at it at a later time. Going through the wreckage, it's best to keep those investigators away from the video, so that they focus on the science, the forensic science. The actual causes, or cause of this crash will be contained in the historical record of the wreckage itself.

SAN MIGUEL: Randy Avera, I'm sure we'll be calling on you again -- that's former NASA engineer involved with the Challenger investigation. Thank you very much for your time, we appreciate it.

Paula, back to you in New York.

ZAHN: Thanks, Renay. So, how are NASA workers dealing the tragedy? Coming up, we're going to talk with a Houston religious leader, who is a minister to many of them, and we're going to take you a Texas town where debris from Columbia has fallen, and get those folks' reactions. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: People in -- throughout northern and eastern Texas heard a loud bang. Indeed, residents of Arkansas and Louisiana also say they heard a loud bang.

Thousands of pieces of debris raining down from the skies, the results of that explosion aboard the space shuttle Columbia. CNN's David Mattingly is in Nacogdoches, Texas. That's the scene of several pieces of debris. David, give us a -- give us the latest on what you're seeing, what you're hearing there.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we're looking at hundreds of square miles of debris in Nacogdoches County here, seems to be right in the heart of it. Authorities yesterday took over 1,000 calls. They were able to locate, pinpoint and identify 500 plus pieces of the shuttle here. We're talking about small pieces, big pieces, twisted metal, chunks of tile from the shuttle's exterior. It's all being found here in yards, in fields, on roadsides and parking lots. Some reports of debris actually coming through the roofs of some barns. There's so much of it here that there aren't enough local officers to keep an eye on it all. Closer to the Louisiana state line, the town of Pentel (ph) reports the recovery of human remains. There have also been reports of the discovery of a helmet and a mission patch from an astronaut's flight suit.

And we have a map to show you, to show you just how wide spread all of this is. The word has gone out to the public, as they go out today, to keep an eye out for any new pieces that they might encounter, and when the do, they're being told not to touch the stuff, because it might be toxic.

Yesterday, one hospital reported eight people coming forward, complaining of burns and respiratory problems after handling some debris from the shuttle. Local authorities might be getting some help today. Already we've seen a lot of National Guardsman here. There have also been reports that we've been told of teams here from the FBI, from FEMA and from NASA as well -- Wolf.

BLITZER: David, anybody injured as a result of this falling debris, at least, in the area where you are?

MATTINGLY: Well, we had that report from that one hospital of eight people coming forward complaining about the burns and possible respiratory problems after encountering some of this shuttle debris. We're going to find out more today if there was any true connection between their handling of the material and any kind of injuries they might have received. So, we will hopefully have some confirmation on that today.

HEMMER: David Mattingly, in Nacogdoches, Texas. Thanks, David, very much. And NASA officials are insisting, stay away from that debris for two reasons -- it could be hazardous, some of these toxic propellants, as they're called, could be hazardous to your health. Also, this is federal property. If you take any of these pieces, you're committing a crime, and the authorities will go after you.

There is a full screen phone -- there's a graphic that we want to put up on our screen right now, a phone number, if you have any debris, contact this number; 281-483-3388, or you can use an e-mail address. Go to columbiaimages, all one word, at NASA -- "N" - "A" - "S" - "A".gov, let the authorities know, and they'll get on it right away -- Bill.

HEMMER: Wolf, thank you. I think truly, one of the most extraordinary things of this event yesterday, Paula, the tens of thousands of pieces that must be scattered anywhere from two inches across -- three feet a crossed -- no one was injured, no one was killed.

ZAHN: Miracle that no on was hurt.

HEMMER: And we talk about a national tragedy, I think it really pulls in the country in this matter. You know, it wasn't just seven people flying 40 miles above the earth. This is debris that is now scattered over 6,400 miles we say, pulling in so many people across Texas and Louisiana, going out into their own backyards, to search and look for remnants of Columbia, and there could be one piece that holds their critical answer as to what happened.

ZAHN: Also think that image of the disaster that will forever seared into our collective memory, that horrible picture that we've seen on the front page of almost every newspaper this morning. Everybody sort of printed it in the panoramic format. Something none of us will ever forget.

HEMMER: And for many people, back in Houston, Texas, a preacher's words this morning, during Sunday services, may help with the healing process. In a moment here, we'll talk to one pastor -- our religious leader who administers to a number of people throughout the NASA community.

In addition to that, the sadness, unfortunately, becoming all too common for one astronaut's family. They have now been hit by two national tragedies. We'll talk about all of that when our special Sunday edition coverage continues in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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 2, 2003 - 07:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: It has been 22 hours and a few seconds since an explosion high over east central Texas signaled a start of a terrible chapter in space exploration.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Seconds after the horrific boom, the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated, raining debris over 6,400 square miles, and today America continues the search for pieces from that mission designed to expand human knowledge in space.

ZAHN: And thanks so much for joining us here this morning. Good morning, I'm Paula Zahn.

HEMMER: And I'm Bill Hemmer. This Sunday edition, a special addition of AMERICAN MORNING. Good to have you with us. Throughout the next five hours here on CNN, we'll join our colleagues Wolf Blitzer, he is in Houston. Daryn Kagan is in Florida at the Kennedy Space Center. Complete coverage about what happened, events of yesterday, 22 hours ago.

ZAHN: Let's get started. We're full flight now. Good morning, Wolf.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Paula. The Johnson Space Center very quite right now. People are just beginning to buzz a little bit over here. There will be a briefing later this afternoon, here at the NASA headquarters. Sean O'Keefe, the administrator of NASA, and others will be talking about their preliminary results of this investigation into this horrendous, horrendous disaster.

It was the 28th mission of the space shuttle Columbia, the 115th flight overall of all the various shuttles, 22-year history of these space shuttles. This disaster happening almost exactly 17 years after the space shuttle Challenger was destroyed, killing all seven astronauts on board. That disaster, of course, took place only seconds after liftoff; this disaster took place only 16 minutes before its scheduled arrival at the Kennedy Space Center.

The sense here is grief. There are flowers outside the Johnson Space Center, a makeshift memorial. People are going to be going to church throughout this area. Small community involving NASA astronauts -- all seven of the astronauts who were aboard the Columbia, of course, had lived here over the past several years, training diligently for this mission. Some of them had flown earlier missions; some of them were rookie astronauts, in effect -- all of them of course, now gone. I want to show you the headline special edition of the "Houston Chronicle" that came out -- look at this headline, it says it all -- not much more to say, people here are grieving.

Back to you.

ZAHN: And because the community, Wolf, are so affected by anything related to NASA, I know that the shock is still new, but has anybody expressed concern to you about what the future of the shuttle program might be given this horrendous tragedy?

BLITZER: Well, as you know, Paula, there were enormous questions about the cost of these shuttle programs, $500 million per launch. It -- the cost overruns of the various programs -- each shuttle, like the Columbia was supposed to fly 100 missions. This shuttle was in its 22nd mission. The Columbia was the oldest of all of the shuttles, beginning in the early 1980s.

But, there will be serious questions, and just as the sun is about to come up over the skies at the Johnson Space Center here, there will be a lot of questions that will be asked. There will -- there'll be immediate investigations. Don't be surprised if, in the aftermath of this disaster, just as in the aftermath of the Challenger disaster, President Bush calls a special commission of inquiry to investigate what's going on.

ZAHN: All right, Wolf, stand by; we'd love to come back to you throughout the morning. Thank you very much for that update -- Bill.

HEMMER: Administrators certainly been up all night, looking into the preliminary date right now, for clues to know what possibly went wrong in the final seconds. Again, this is upon the approach in Florida to the east coast of Florida, and Daryn Kagan is there now this morning.

Joining us live outside Florida's Kennedy Space Center. Daryn, good morning to you. Certainly we're not even a day old into this, and the thoughts being expressed as the sun comes up on the dawn of another day -- good morning.

DARYN KAGAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Bill. You know, this was supposed to be the time right now when the astronauts would be wrapping up their celebration with their families and getting ready to head back to Houston. Instead, things are eerily quiet here at the Kennedy Space Center, and what's taken place instead is the investigation, as Wolf has mentioned. That started (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and that started to get going as soon as it was clear that something went wrong yesterday.

Also, what's happening here, a lot of questions about the future of the space station -- want to take a little walk with you right now, and just over my right shoulder, that is the vehicle assembly building. Inside there is the shuttle Atlantis. It was taken there. The launch was supposed to take place on March 1, as soon as this week, Atlantis was supposed to be moved out onto launch pad. Of course, that is on hold, along with everything else. And one other note, as we look forward, and with questions with the space program, I think something a lot of people didn't know, the next mission for Columbia was to be the mission that was going to take Barbara Morgan up into space, the teacher up in space; that program along with everything else on hold here at NASA and the Kennedy Space Center.

Bill, back to you.

HEMMER: All right, Daryn, thank you. We'll certainly be back in touch with you throughout the course of the morning and the day there in Florida. Daryn, thanks. Here's Paula again.

ZAHN: Five of the seven Columbia astronauts had children, and plans are now already under way to provide for their financial well- being. Officials say a trust fund set up after the 1986 Challenger disaster will be used, and the board will meet tomorrow to begin raising money for the families of Columbia astronauts -- Bill.

HEMMER: NASA, suspending all space flights, pending the investigation of the Columbia tragedy. You might remember, back in 1986, it was two and a half full years before the shuttle program flew again after the Challenger blew up in the few short moments after liftoff in Florida.

A planned launch of a Russian unmanned supply shuttle will go forward -- in fact, today it will go. The Progress M47 being sent into space to resupply the International Space Station. Currently in space, two astronauts, one cosmonaut still on board the space station. We are told they have enough supplies to last until June. If there is an emergency to get out, there are plans also -- contingency plans, where they could use some of the Russian craft to come back to earth. At this point, though, there are no plans for that to take place.

ZAHN: As you know, there was so much talk yesterday about, at least from the public's perception, that these missions have begin somewhat routine. However, the shuttle astronauts courageously accepted the challenges and dangers involved in space travel. Rick Husband, the commander of the Columbia mission, knew it especially well. This was his second flight in space, and just days ago he spoke with our own Miles O'Brien on the status of this mission.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK HUSBAND, ASTRONAUT: Well, things are going really great, Miles, we're having a great time up here. We've had a great ride to orbit, and all the activation of the experiments in the space went extremely well, and we're really -- we've got our space legs and up and running.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ZAHN: And joining me right now is David Jones, Rick Husband's best friend of more than 30 years. David, thank you very much for joining us at this terrible time that you and Mr. Husband's family faces. First off, can you take us back to yesterday, and exactly where you were when you heard this terrible news?

DAVID JONES, RICK HUSBAND'S FRIEND: Well, oddly enough, we had a -- we live in Lubbock, which is where Rick went to college, and we had stepped out into the street, in front of our home, to look at the shuttle. About 7:55 or so, it came across out sky from west, east/southeast, and we got up there with our -- two of our kiddos, and we're looking up and actually saw it streak across the sky, just in a pretty normal trajectory, and lost it about two-thirds of the way through the sky, through its track, and just thought -- I just had bad vision, because we lost it into the sun, but a little bit perplexed by that. But then went into the house and just waited for a -- to watch it land -- to watch the landing, and it came up and said that, at the top of the hour, they'd lost contact, and that just doesn't happen. So, we knew something wasn't right at that time. So, just fairly difficult time.

ZAHN: I know how close you are to Rick Husband's family. Have you had a chance to speak with his wife, or see any of his children?

JONES: I have, and just outside of saying, they're remarkably resilient group of folks, with a great deal of faith. Rick was a very strong Christian man, and his family, of course, shares that faith, and are very courageous -- of course, sad and aggrieved, and grieving right now, as are all the people in this situation, but incredibly strong, and good people.

ZAHN: I know that...

JONES: Rick is proud, I know.

ZAHN: Well, I know that your friendship is so close; you have said that you were even more proud of accomplishments than your own. Tell us a little bit about his love of flight, his love of science, his love of space.

JONES: I don't know where he's a -- from the time -- even before, my mother taught Rick in elementary school, and she would come home and tell me about this kid that wanted to be an astronaut, and we all kind of laughed, because who knows what they want to be when they're 4 and 5, and 6 or 7 years old, and sticks with it; you know, I wanted to be a fireman, I'm sure, at one time.

But he said he wanted to be an astronaut, and became an astronaut, and he never, he never ever wavered from the course he set for himself. And of course, his faith is a big component of that, because he has a great faith in God, and a great faith in what God wants man to accomplish, and what man can do through him.

ZAHN: I hear that on both of these missions, that you were as nervous as a brother could be for Rick. Tell us a little bit about whether the two of you ever talked openly about the dangers he faced on these missions.

JONES: Well, the last time I saw him was after the July mission was scrubbed because of some -- well, postponed because of some mechanical problems, they were having some cracks in some lines, I think it was. He came out to Lubbock in October, and we just sat and visited about what the mission would mean. And more we talked about faith issues. We shared the same beliefs and same background, so it was easy to talk about that, and, you know, he's a very serene fellow -- he wasn't -- he's pretty laid back -- you heard him as he was talking, I just heard the voice -- the a -- the little piece that you did with him, and you know, great came out a whole lot, he's a -- he was a -- he may have been nervous, but he'd never really expressed it to me, and that was just one of those acceptable risks that he had, that he knew this is what he wanted to do, and since he wanted to do this as badly as he did, and had the passion for it that he did, that he was willing to accept the risks.

And I think it was always in the back of his mind, but certainly not to the degree that's it's come to fruition the last 24 hours or so.

ZAHN: OK, David, we really appreciate you're joining us at this very tough time, and sharing part of Rick's legacy with us this morning. Take care, our best to your family and Mr. Husband's family -- Bill.

JONES: Thanks.

HEMMER: I think one thing that's become abundantly clear in the past 24 hours, is how much of a sense of community this NASA community had -- almost like family, and to listen to them talk about each other -- it's like brother and sister, and it really is heart-warming, given the events that we all witnessed yesterday.

We will continue our coverage here as Sunday edition, special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. In a moment here, countless questions today in going forward here. How will investigators start piecing together what caused the tragedy? In a moment, talk with one of the NASA engineers that investigated the Challenger disaster of 1986. Also, live to Nacogdoches, Texas, much of the debris that could tell the story, and key pieces of evidence possible on the ground there.

Back in a moment here -- again, a special Sunday edition here, of AMERICAN MORNING.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: The crew of the Shuttle Columbia did not return safely to earth, yet we can pray that all are safely home.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, 1986)

RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them this morning this morning as they prepared for their journey and waved good-bye, and slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God. (END VIDEO CLIP)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN F. KENNEDY, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving a goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon, and returning him safely to the earth.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HEMMER: Welcome back to a Sunday edition, special edition of AMERICAN MORNING. We continue to anticipate a number of events happening over the next several hours, and as soon as those events and press briefings come our way and make available to use, we'll certainly pass them along to you.

We will be here until noon Eastern time, covering the latest on the fallout from yesterday -- the Columbia space shuttle tragedy. First, though, want to check in with Heidi Collins. She is in the CNN Center in Atlanta. There is other news in the world today.

(NEWSBREAK)

ZAHN: Joining us now with more on the shuttle Columbia tragedy is Renay San Miguel, who joins us from Atlanta. Renay, good morning.

RENAY SAN MIGUEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thank you, good morning to you, Paula. Following the Challenger disaster in 1986, it took NASA more than two and a half years to launch again, and then it was Discovery that lifted off in September of 1988.

Joining us now is Randy Avera, a former NASA engineer who was involved in the investigation following Challenger. He was up with us late last night; he has graciously agreed to return early this morning. Thanks for doing that, Randy, we appreciate it.

I'd like to ask you, what do you think a -- do you think it's going to take two and a half years before NASA does fly again, considering the advances since 1986, in computers and software and the like?

RANDY AVERA, FORMER ENGINEER, NASA: The amount of time that it will take to return to flight depends specifically upon the efficiency of the investigation, and how quickly the cause, or combination of causes relate to the design of the vehicle.

Back in 1986, the two-year delay in flying was mostly due to the re-design of the steel structure of the large solid rocket boosters. Each shuttle has two large solid rocket boosters. That had to be re- designed and then, re-machined to make new designs, and then of course, going back into the return to flight program, which was the STS-26 Discovery mission. SAN MIGUEL: How key is the video evidence, as well? You know, there were cameras trained on Challenger as it lifted off, and then 73 seconds into the flight, the cameras caught that terrible blossoming of flame that turned into the disaster there. Now, we're relaying on amateur video, and, you know, news photographer video of the shuttle breaking -- of Columbia breaking up. How key will the video evidence be?

AVERA: The video evidence can be a plus or a minus. For example, when we -- on January the 28th, 1986, as we were reviewing media feeds of TV, actually it was replay of NASA select TV, it was called at the time -- we actually had wrong assumptions, and we were fooled by what we were looking at in the video.

The big lesson learned there was, don't let your eyes fool you in the investigation. The investigators will take that video data, whatever -- whether it's home made video, or professionally done, they will look at it at a later time. Going through the wreckage, it's best to keep those investigators away from the video, so that they focus on the science, the forensic science. The actual causes, or cause of this crash will be contained in the historical record of the wreckage itself.

SAN MIGUEL: Randy Avera, I'm sure we'll be calling on you again -- that's former NASA engineer involved with the Challenger investigation. Thank you very much for your time, we appreciate it.

Paula, back to you in New York.

ZAHN: Thanks, Renay. So, how are NASA workers dealing the tragedy? Coming up, we're going to talk with a Houston religious leader, who is a minister to many of them, and we're going to take you a Texas town where debris from Columbia has fallen, and get those folks' reactions. Please stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: People in -- throughout northern and eastern Texas heard a loud bang. Indeed, residents of Arkansas and Louisiana also say they heard a loud bang.

Thousands of pieces of debris raining down from the skies, the results of that explosion aboard the space shuttle Columbia. CNN's David Mattingly is in Nacogdoches, Texas. That's the scene of several pieces of debris. David, give us a -- give us the latest on what you're seeing, what you're hearing there.

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, we're looking at hundreds of square miles of debris in Nacogdoches County here, seems to be right in the heart of it. Authorities yesterday took over 1,000 calls. They were able to locate, pinpoint and identify 500 plus pieces of the shuttle here. We're talking about small pieces, big pieces, twisted metal, chunks of tile from the shuttle's exterior. It's all being found here in yards, in fields, on roadsides and parking lots. Some reports of debris actually coming through the roofs of some barns. There's so much of it here that there aren't enough local officers to keep an eye on it all. Closer to the Louisiana state line, the town of Pentel (ph) reports the recovery of human remains. There have also been reports of the discovery of a helmet and a mission patch from an astronaut's flight suit.

And we have a map to show you, to show you just how wide spread all of this is. The word has gone out to the public, as they go out today, to keep an eye out for any new pieces that they might encounter, and when the do, they're being told not to touch the stuff, because it might be toxic.

Yesterday, one hospital reported eight people coming forward, complaining of burns and respiratory problems after handling some debris from the shuttle. Local authorities might be getting some help today. Already we've seen a lot of National Guardsman here. There have also been reports that we've been told of teams here from the FBI, from FEMA and from NASA as well -- Wolf.

BLITZER: David, anybody injured as a result of this falling debris, at least, in the area where you are?

MATTINGLY: Well, we had that report from that one hospital of eight people coming forward complaining about the burns and possible respiratory problems after encountering some of this shuttle debris. We're going to find out more today if there was any true connection between their handling of the material and any kind of injuries they might have received. So, we will hopefully have some confirmation on that today.

HEMMER: David Mattingly, in Nacogdoches, Texas. Thanks, David, very much. And NASA officials are insisting, stay away from that debris for two reasons -- it could be hazardous, some of these toxic propellants, as they're called, could be hazardous to your health. Also, this is federal property. If you take any of these pieces, you're committing a crime, and the authorities will go after you.

There is a full screen phone -- there's a graphic that we want to put up on our screen right now, a phone number, if you have any debris, contact this number; 281-483-3388, or you can use an e-mail address. Go to columbiaimages, all one word, at NASA -- "N" - "A" - "S" - "A".gov, let the authorities know, and they'll get on it right away -- Bill.

HEMMER: Wolf, thank you. I think truly, one of the most extraordinary things of this event yesterday, Paula, the tens of thousands of pieces that must be scattered anywhere from two inches across -- three feet a crossed -- no one was injured, no one was killed.

ZAHN: Miracle that no on was hurt.

HEMMER: And we talk about a national tragedy, I think it really pulls in the country in this matter. You know, it wasn't just seven people flying 40 miles above the earth. This is debris that is now scattered over 6,400 miles we say, pulling in so many people across Texas and Louisiana, going out into their own backyards, to search and look for remnants of Columbia, and there could be one piece that holds their critical answer as to what happened.

ZAHN: Also think that image of the disaster that will forever seared into our collective memory, that horrible picture that we've seen on the front page of almost every newspaper this morning. Everybody sort of printed it in the panoramic format. Something none of us will ever forget.

HEMMER: And for many people, back in Houston, Texas, a preacher's words this morning, during Sunday services, may help with the healing process. In a moment here, we'll talk to one pastor -- our religious leader who administers to a number of people throughout the NASA community.

In addition to that, the sadness, unfortunately, becoming all too common for one astronaut's family. They have now been hit by two national tragedies. We'll talk about all of that when our special Sunday edition coverage continues in a moment here on AMERICAN MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com