Posted on 02/01/2013 3:18:12 PM PST by iowamark
NASA has revealed that the Columbia crew were not told that the shuttle had been damaged and they might not survive re-entry.
The seven astronauts who died will be remembered at a public memorial service on the 10th anniversary of the disaster this Friday at Florida's Kennedy Space Center.
The shuttle was headed home from a 16-day science mission when it broke apart over Texas on February 1, 2003, because of damage to its left wing.
Ten years ago, experts at NASA's mission control faced the terrible decision over whether to let the astronauts know that they may die on re-entry or face orbiting in space until the oxygen ran out...
There was no way to repair any suspected damage - the crew were far from the International Space Station and had no robotic arm for repairs. It would have taken too long to send up another shuttle to rescue them.
Wayne Hale, who went on to become space shuttle program manager, has written on his blog about the fateful day.
Mr Hale writes: 'After one of the MMTs (Mission Management Team) when possible damage to the orbiter was discussed, he (Flight Director Jon Harpold) gave me his opinion: ''You know, there is nothing we can do about damage to the TPS (Thermal Protection System).'
'"If it has been damaged it's probably better not to know. I think the crew would rather not know. Don't you think it would be better for them to have a happy successful flight and die unexpectedly during entry than to stay on orbit, knowing that there was nothing to be done, until the air ran out?"'...
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
I agree, and had I been the one to make that call at that time, I can't say what I would have done.
With the benefit of an armchair and Monday morning hindsight, I think apprising the mission commander would have been the right thing to do, and let him make the command decision as to whether or not to tell the crew.
I’d heard that W&Cheney gave the orders to round all the relatives/family/etc up and fly them out ASAP, to avoid retaliation. Lots of people were PO’d and wanted revenge, and some was taken out on wrong ethnicities (Sihks etc), which was sad.
They were afraid the astronauts might start cursing the NASA scum who equipped their rockets with “green” SOFI in order to be politically correct and appease the scumbag Democrat enviro-mice.
The people responsible for using inferior “green” materials in a space mission should be prosecuted for murder.
I agree that was the reason the were sent on their way. I believe if it were me, I would have detained them if they had any kind of relationship with Bin Laden.
If they checked out as OK then I would have let them go but not before.
I’d rather have the choice, personally.
Given that, was this really a decision to “tie up loose ends” rather than having our astronauts circling terra firma, deceased, just waiting for the shuttle’s orbit decay to reach the same end?
Interesting.
It’s all true.
I would take the flight tomorrow without trepidation.
Not me! I’m chicken. Iol
I would have to let them know - I would want to know. If nothing else, it would give me a last chance to talk with my Lord and affirm my faith. What if one of them was on the verge of making a personal decision and hadn’t yet done it?
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