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CNN Saturday Morning News
Investigation Into What Caused Columbia Shuttle Tragedy Continues
Aired June 07, 2003 - 07:28 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We turn our attention now to the shuttle "Columbia" tragedy and the investigation into what caused it. Engineers suspect a lightweight piece of foam may have triggered a tragic turn of events that led to the loss of the shuttle and the deaths of seven astronauts.
CNN's Miles O'Brien has the latest on the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... three, two, one, zero.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a shot of stark reality for NASA. Despite what engineers always assumed, fast-moving foam can, in fact, pierce a space shuttle's heat shield. And while investigators say it's too early to say for certain, it may soon lead them to smoking gun proof of what happened to "Columbia" four months ago.
SCOTT HUBBARD, "COLUMBIA" ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION BOARD: This is the first evidence that we have that a piece of foam that approximates what was observed in the accident can in fact crack and damage a piece of flight reinforced carbon panel.
O'BRIEN: Scott Hubbard of the "Columbia" accident investigation board is leading the testing board at a private facility in San Antonio, Texas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And liftoff of space shuttle "Columbia" with a...
O'BRIEN: They hope to replicate what happened to the space shuttle "Columbia" 81 seconds after her last launch. That's when a piece of insulating foam flew off the fuel tank, striking the carbon panels at the leading edge of the orbiter's left wing at a relative speed of more than 500 miles an hour.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And "Columbia," Houston, we see your tire pressure messages, and we did not copy your last.
O'BRIEN: While NASA engineers and mission managers concluded during the mission it was nothing to worry about, the accident board believes the foam inflicted a mortal wound on "Columbia," a breach that allowed 3,000-degree plasma to blowtorch the aluminum skin when "Columbia" returned to earth on February 1.
And the testing is offering the strongest evidence to date they are right. In this case, the foam projectile dislodged the carbon panel by a 10th of an inch and left a three-quarter-inch crack. The panel was removed from the shuttle "Discovery"'s wing and affixed to a mockup.
HUBBARD: We don't know the structural or thermal implications of this crack yet. What I can say is, if such a crack had been found on an inspection, you would not fly with it. You would not take a piece that is this damaged into space.
O'BRIEN: Miles O'Brien, CNN.
(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
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We turn our attention now to the shuttle "Columbia" tragedy and the investigation into what caused it. Engineers suspect a lightweight piece of foam may have triggered a tragic turn of events that led to the loss of the shuttle and the deaths of seven astronauts.>
Aired June 7, 2003 - 07:28 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We turn our attention now to the shuttle "Columbia" tragedy and the investigation into what caused it. Engineers suspect a lightweight piece of foam may have triggered a tragic turn of events that led to the loss of the shuttle and the deaths of seven astronauts.
CNN's Miles O'Brien has the latest on the investigation.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... three, two, one, zero.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN SPACE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It is a shot of stark reality for NASA. Despite what engineers always assumed, fast-moving foam can, in fact, pierce a space shuttle's heat shield. And while investigators say it's too early to say for certain, it may soon lead them to smoking gun proof of what happened to "Columbia" four months ago.
SCOTT HUBBARD, "COLUMBIA" ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION BOARD: This is the first evidence that we have that a piece of foam that approximates what was observed in the accident can in fact crack and damage a piece of flight reinforced carbon panel.
O'BRIEN: Scott Hubbard of the "Columbia" accident investigation board is leading the testing board at a private facility in San Antonio, Texas.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And liftoff of space shuttle "Columbia" with a...
O'BRIEN: They hope to replicate what happened to the space shuttle "Columbia" 81 seconds after her last launch. That's when a piece of insulating foam flew off the fuel tank, striking the carbon panels at the leading edge of the orbiter's left wing at a relative speed of more than 500 miles an hour.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And "Columbia," Houston, we see your tire pressure messages, and we did not copy your last.
O'BRIEN: While NASA engineers and mission managers concluded during the mission it was nothing to worry about, the accident board believes the foam inflicted a mortal wound on "Columbia," a breach that allowed 3,000-degree plasma to blowtorch the aluminum skin when "Columbia" returned to earth on February 1.
And the testing is offering the strongest evidence to date they are right. In this case, the foam projectile dislodged the carbon panel by a 10th of an inch and left a three-quarter-inch crack. The panel was removed from the shuttle "Discovery"'s wing and affixed to a mockup.
HUBBARD: We don't know the structural or thermal implications of this crack yet. What I can say is, if such a crack had been found on an inspection, you would not fly with it. You would not take a piece that is this damaged into space.
O'BRIEN: Miles O'Brien, CNN.
(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
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: We turn our attention now to the shuttle "Columbia" tragedy and the investigation into what caused it. Engineers suspect a lightweight piece of foam may have triggered a tragic turn of events that led to the loss of the shuttle and the deaths of seven astronauts.>
