ConspiRaider
28th January 2008, 08:50 AM
Yesterday was the 41-year anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire on the launch pad, where a spark ignited the pure oxygen atmosphere inside the capsule. The 3 astronauts died from fire and smoke inhalation. It was a disaster waiting to happen. NASA had been good, but also lucky, during the Mercury and Gemini missions, and that encouraged a "charge ahead" mindset. Apollo 1 was the price tag. It was nearly 2 years before another American went into space.
Today is the 22-year anniversary of the Challenger explosion, just a minute or so after launch, killing 7 astronauts. Excessively cold temperatures on the launch pad (less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit at blastoff) altered the fit of the O-rings on the solid rocket boosters. That allowed a burn-through, knocking the shuttle package off of its trajectory and eventually into the ocean. Engineers had warned NASA management about this very thing, and were vigorously debating it with them during conferences, prior to launch. Bureaucracy, arrogance and recklessness caused this tragedy. I worked the Shuttle program just prior to the disaster, knew about the previous near-burn-through in similar conditions of temperature. There was also talk of pressure from the White House to launch, regardless, because Reagan wanted a live hookup with the orbiting teacher during his State of the Union speech.
This Friday, February 1st is to be the 5-year anniversary of the Columbia breakup upon re-entry into the atmosphere. 7 astronauts killed. A briefcase-sized piece of foam insulation was shed during blastoff, and struck the Shuttle's wing. That caused a compromise of heat shielding upon re-entry, sending the Shuttle out of control and leading to its disintegration over Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. This was a known issue, but Shuttles were launched anyway. Shuttle program set back 2 years.
In a six-day period, calendar-wise, all 3 fatal mishaps for the USA Space Program occurred.
Today is the 22-year anniversary of the Challenger explosion, just a minute or so after launch, killing 7 astronauts. Excessively cold temperatures on the launch pad (less than 40 degrees Fahrenheit at blastoff) altered the fit of the O-rings on the solid rocket boosters. That allowed a burn-through, knocking the shuttle package off of its trajectory and eventually into the ocean. Engineers had warned NASA management about this very thing, and were vigorously debating it with them during conferences, prior to launch. Bureaucracy, arrogance and recklessness caused this tragedy. I worked the Shuttle program just prior to the disaster, knew about the previous near-burn-through in similar conditions of temperature. There was also talk of pressure from the White House to launch, regardless, because Reagan wanted a live hookup with the orbiting teacher during his State of the Union speech.
This Friday, February 1st is to be the 5-year anniversary of the Columbia breakup upon re-entry into the atmosphere. 7 astronauts killed. A briefcase-sized piece of foam insulation was shed during blastoff, and struck the Shuttle's wing. That caused a compromise of heat shielding upon re-entry, sending the Shuttle out of control and leading to its disintegration over Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas. This was a known issue, but Shuttles were launched anyway. Shuttle program set back 2 years.
In a six-day period, calendar-wise, all 3 fatal mishaps for the USA Space Program occurred.