Based on the official NASA statement on the Declaration of the
Space Shuttle Contingency being placed in effect, the following mishap occurred:
Following a scheduled braking manouver during reentry after a
16-day scientific mission, loss of communication was experienced with the Space
Shuttle Columbia at approximately 8:00am CST on Saturday, February 1st, 2003.
Signal loss occurred as Columbia descended toward a landing at the Kennedy Space
Center, FL. With touchdown scheduled for 8:16am CST.
Communication and tracking of the shuttle was lost at an
altitude of about 203,000 feet (61,900 m) in the area above North Central Texas,
approximately above the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex region of Texas. At the time
communications were lost. The shuttle was traveling approximately 12,500 miles
per hour (20,100 km/h or Mach 18). No communication and tracking information were
received in Mission Control after that time.
A Space Shuttle contingency was declared in Mission Control,
Houston, and search & rescue teams in the Dallas-Fort Worth and in portions of
East Texas were alerted. At the same time, a public safety alert was also issued
regarding how the public should regard Any debris that is located in the area
that may have originated from Columbia. Per NASA, such debris should be avoided
as it may be hazardous as a result of toxic propellants used aboard the shuttle.
The location of any possible debris should immediately be reported to local
authorities.
Flight controllers in Mission Control then secured all
information, notes and data pertinent to today's entry and landing by Columbia
and continued to methodically proceed through contingency plans.
STS 107 was the 113th mission in the Shuttle program. It was primarily a
science-dedicated mission, with no docking to the International Space Station
(ISS). STS-107 originally had two basic major goals:
- It was originally scheduled to have been Columbia's first flight after
an 18-month overhaul to install over 100 modifications and improvements,
including a “glass cockpit” with nine full-color, flat-panel displays,
reduced power needs, old wire removal, and a user-friendly interface.
However, due to the fuel liner cracks that caused a temporary grounding of
the Shuttle fleet last year, STS-107 was postponed and Columbia flew STS-109
- Hubble Service Mission 3B - instead.
- The Space Shuttle Columbia carried the SPACEHAB Research Double Module
with seven ESA payloads with a mass of 1300 lbs (600 kg) and representing
approximately 25% of the payload in the Shuttle middeck and in SPACEHAB.
SPACEHAB's primary mission was to conduct over 100 experiments ranging from
biomedical research to Earth observation.
The experiment manifest for the mission included the following:
-
Commercial Payload:
- Advanced Respiratory Monitoring System
- Closed Equilibrated Biological Aquatic System
- U.S. Air Force Technology Demonstration Experiment
- Commercial and Macromolecular Protein Crystal Growth
- Combined Two-Phase-Loop Experiment
- Quick External Science Tray
- Space Technology and Research Students (STARS) Program
- Star Navigation
- Osteoporosis Experiment in Orbit
- European Research In Space and Terrestrial Osteoporosis
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- Human Life Science Experiments:
- Physiology and Biochemistry Experiments Team
(PhaAB-4)
- Enhanced Orbiter Refrigeration Freezer (EOR/F)
- Thermoelectric Holding Module (TEHM)
- Orbiter Centrifuge
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- NASA/ESA Barter Payload:
- Biopack Experiment
- Facility for Absorption and Surface Tension
- Advanced Protein Crystallization Facility
- Biobox Experiment
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- NASA ISS RME Payload:
- Vapor Compression Distillation Flight
Experiment
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- NASA Code U Payload:
- Combustion Module-2
- Space Acceleration Measurement System -
Free Flyer
- Mechanics of Granular Materials
- Bioreactor Development System-05
- Ergometer Hardware
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- Human Life Science Experiments:
- Microbial Physiology Flight
Experiments (MPFE)
- Automated Microbial System (AMS)
- SLEEP-3
- Astroculture (Plant Growth Chamber)
- Astroculture (Glovebox)
- Commercial Protein Crystal
Growth-PCF
- Zeolite Crystal Growth-1
- Fundamental Rodent Experiments
Supporting Health-Two
- Gravisensing and Response System
- Biological Research in Canisters
- Commercial ITA Biomedical
Experiments
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- "Freestar" Small Payloads:
- Mediterranean Israeli Dust Experiment
(MEIDEX)
- Solar Constant Experiment-3
(SOLCON-3)
- Shuttle Ozone Limb Sounding
Experiment (SOLSE-2)
- Critical Viscosity of Xenon-2 (CVX-2)
- Low Power Transceiver (LPT)
- Space Experiment Model
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Some of the experiments were part of the STARS program, STARS
is an educational initiative that challenges students to assume the role of a
Shuttle Payload Specialist and promotes interest in engineering, mathematical
and scientific careers.
Between launch and landing, the mission was broken up into
four six-hour shifts, with primary staffing as follows:
|
Shift |
Flight Director |
CAPCOM |
PAO |
|
Ascent |
Leroy
Cain |
Charles
Hobaugh |
Rob
Navias |
|
Orbit 1 |
Steve
Stich |
Linda
Godwin |
John Ira
Petty |
|
Orbit 2 |
Kelly
Beck |
Stephanie Wilson |
Cathy
Watson |
|
Orbit 3 |
Bryan
Austin |
Charlie
Hobaugh |
Kylie
Moritz |
|
Orbit 4 |
Jeff
Hanley |
Ken Ham |
Various |
|
Entry |
Leroy
Cain |
Charles
Hobaugh |
James
Hartsfield |
In addition, the following key control and support positions
were staffed as follows:
Launch Control & Support
| Launch director |
Michael Leinbach
|
| Voice of Launch Control |
Bruce Buckingham
|
| Ascent Flight Director |
Wayne Hale
|
| Voice of Mission Control |
Rob Navias
|
| NASA Test Director |
Jeff Spaulding
|
| Launch weather Pilot |
Kent Rominger
|
| Landing Weather Pilot
(KSC) |
Kent Rominger
|
| Landing Weather
Pilot (EAFB) |
Michael
Bloomfield |
| Weather CAPCOM |
Duane Carey
|
| TAL pilot-Zaragoza |
Dominic
Antonelli |
| TAL pilot-Ben
Guerir |
Not
Staffed For This Flight |
| TAL
pilot-Moron |
Gregory
Johnson |
| JSC PAO
Rep at KSC |
Not
Specified by PAO |
NASA Administration
|
NASA
Administrator |
Sean
O'Keefe |
|
NASA
Deputy Administrator |
Frederick
Gregory |
|
Chief
of Staff & White House Liaison |
Courtney
Stadd |
|
Chief
Scientist |
Shannon
Lucid |
|
AA
for Spaceflight |
William
Readdy |
|
AA for Public Affairs |
Glenn
Mahone |
|
AA for Safety/Mission Assurance |
Bryan
O'Connor |
|
AA for Space Science |
Edward
Weiler |
|
AA for Biological and Physical
Research |
Mary
Kicza |
|
Inspector General |
Robert
Cobb |
|
AA for Earth sciences |
Ghassem
Asrar |
Shuttle & ISS Managers
|
ISS Program Manager |
William
Gerstenmaier (at JSC)
|
|
Space Shuttle Program
Manager |
Ronald
Dittemore (at JSC)
|
KSC Managers
|
Director, Kennedy
Space Center |
Roy
Bridges |
|
Manager, Shuttle
Launch Integration |
Astronaut
James Halsell
|
|
KSC Director,
Shuttle Processing |
Mike
Wetmore
|
|
KSC Director,
ISS Processing |
John
"Tip" Talone
|
|
Launch
Director |
Michael
Leinbach
|
|
Launch
Manager |
John
Guidi
|
|
Director,
Process
Integration |
Conrad
Nagel
|
|
NASA
Chief
Test
Director |
Doug
Lyons
|
|
NASA
Test
Director |
Steve
Altemus
|
|
NASA
Test
Director |
Jeff
Spaulding
|
JSC Managers
|
Director,
Johnson
Space
Center |
Jefferson
Howell
Jr.
|
| Assoc. JSC Director, Technical |
Astronaut John Young |
JSC director, Human Space
Flight Programs, Russia |
Astronaut James Newman |
| JSC Director, Flight Crew Operations |
Astronaut Robert Cabana |
| JSC Director, Mission Operations |
Jon Harpold |
| JSC Safety, Reliability, Quality |
Lee Briscoe (Acting) |
| JSC Space and Life Sciences |
Astronaut Jeffrey Davis |
| JSC Director, Spacewalks |
G. Allen Flynt |
| JSC Chief Engineer |
Jay Greene |
