-Caveat Lector- "" On launch day, a piece of insulating foam on the external fuel tank came off during liftoff and was believed to have struck the left wing of the shuttle. ""
Space shuttle Columbia crashes S Rajagopalan Washington, February 1 http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_153495,00050001.htm NASA space shuttle Columbia broke up over Texas before it was scheduled to land at Kennedy space station. Columbia was aiming for a touch down at 7.46 pm. It was at an US space shuttle Columbia, with India-born Kalpana Chawla among a seven-member crew, crashed over Texas minutes before it was to land on Saturday morning at the end of a 16-day mission. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) lost contact with Columbia around 8 am Central Time (7.30 pm IST) when the shuttle was at a height of 207,000 ft and travelling at a speed of 12,500 miles per hour. It was scheduled to land at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 8.16 am. NASA declared an emergency as television stations carried video images of hurtling �multiple flares�, indicative of falling debris after a break-up of the shuttle. In north Texas, people reported hearing a �big bang� around the time when NASA lost contact with Columbia. Some said it was like a �sonic boom�. Commanded by Rick Husband, the shuttle had on board six Americans, including Chawla, and an Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon, whose inclusion had prompted NASA to mount extraordinarily tight security arrangements. For Chawla, who joined NASA as an astronaut candidate in 1994, it was the second space odyssey. Five years ago, she had made India proud as a member of the STS-87 space expedition. Chawla, who operated the robotic arm on that mission, had then travelled 6.5 million miles in 252 orbits of the Earth, logging 376 hours and 34 minutes in space. The crash of Columbia is the first crash involving a descending US human space in 42 years. In 1986, space shuttle Challenger had exploded, but that was on the ascent path, soon after lift-off. Chawla, born in Karnal, had her schooling and college education in India. She did her masters in aerospace engineering from University of Texas in 1984 and doctorate from Colorado University two years later. An avid flier, she held certified flight instructor�s violence with airplane and glider ratings, commercial pilot�s licences for single and multi-engine land and seaplanes. In a pre-flight talk with reporters on January 16, Chawla had said the person to inspire her to take to aeronautics was JRD Tata, who flew the first mail flights in India. �What JRD Tata had done during those years was very intriguing and definitely captivated my imagination,� she had said. Preparatory to her career as an astronaut, Chawla had joined the Ames Research Center in 1988 in the area of powered-lift computational fluid dynamics. Her research concentrated on simulation of complex air flows encountered around aircraft such as the Harrier in ground-effect. In 1993 Kalpana Chawla joined Overset Methods Inc., Los Altos, California, as Vice President and Research Scientist to form a team with other researchers specializing in simulation of moving multiple body problems.altitude of 60,210 meters, travelling at 20,113 kph when mission control lost contact. There were seven astronauts on board, including Indian American Kalpana Chawla and the first Israeli astronaut in space. NASA declared an emergency after losing communication with space shuttle Columbia as the ship soared over Texas several minutes before its expected landing time on Saturday morning. The shuttle was carrying six Americans, and authorities had feared it would be a terrorist target. Fifteen minutes after the expected landing time, and with no word from the shuttle, NASA announced that search and rescue teams were being mobilized in Dallas and Fort Worth areas. Inside Mission Control, flight controllers hovered in front of their computers, staring at the screens. The wives, husbands and children of the astronauts who had been waiting at the landing strip were gathered together by NASA and taken to separate place. Columbia was at an altitude of 60,210 meters over north- central Texas at 9 am (1400 GMT), travelling at 20,112 kph when mission control lost contact and tracking data. NASA, while not saying the shuttle had exploded, broken up or crashed, warned that any debris found in the area should be avoided and could be hazardous. There were reports of debris seen falling. In 42 years of human space flight, NASA has never lost a space crew during landing or the ride back to orbit. In 1986, space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff. Security had been tight for the 16-day scientific research mission that included the first Israeli astronaut. Ilan Ramon, a colonel in Israel's air force and former fighter pilot, became the first man from his country to fly in space, and his presence resulted in an increase in security, not only for Columbia's January 16 launch, but also for its landing. Space agency officials feared his presence might make the shuttle more of a terrorist target. On launch day, a piece of insulating foam on the external fuel tank came off during liftoff and was believed to have struck the left wing of the shuttle. Leroy Cain, the lead flight director in Mission Control, had assured reporters Friday that engineers had concluded that any damage to the wing was considered minor and posed no safety hazard. Printed From Forwarded for your information. 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