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Space Shuttle Columbia

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Space transport

               Space Shuttle Columbia
   Columbia launches on its final mission, STS-107

                             Columbia

   Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-102
   Country:                     United States
   Contract award:              26 July 1972
   Named after:                 Robert Gray’s Columbia Rediviva
   First flight:                STS-1
                                12 April 1981 - 14 April 1981
   Last flight:                 STS-107
                                16 January 2003 – 1 February 2003
   Number of missions:          28
   Crews:                       160
   Time spent in space:         300.74 days
   Number of orbits:            4,808
   Distance Travelled:          201,497,772 km
   Satellites deployed:         8
   Dockings with Mir:           0
   Dockings with ISS:           0
   Status:                      destroyed 1 February 2003

   Space Shuttle Columbia ( NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-102) was
   the first space shuttle in NASA's orbital fleet. Its first mission,
   STS-1, lasted from April 12 to April 14, 1981. On February 1, 2003,
   Columbia disintegrated during re-entry over Texas, on its 28th mission;
   all seven crew members aboard perished.

History

   Construction began on Columbia in 1975 primarily in Palmdale,
   California. Columbia was named after the Boston-based sloop Columbia
   captained by American Robert Gray, who explored the Pacific Northwest
   and became the first American vessel to circumnavigate the world; the
   name also honored Columbia, the Command Module of Apollo 11. After
   construction, the orbiter arrived at John F. Kennedy Space Centre on
   March 25, 1979, to prepare for its first launch. On March 19, 1981,
   during preparations for a ground test, five workers were asphyxiated
   during a nitrogen purge, resulting in two deaths. Columbia has always
   been referred to as the flagship of the shuttle fleet.

   The first flight of Columbia ( STS-1) was commanded by John Young (a
   space veteran from the Gemini and Apollo eras) and piloted by Robert
   Crippen, a rookie who had never been in space before, but who served as
   a support crew member for the Skylab missions and Apollo-Soyuz. It
   launched April 12, 1981, and returned April 14, 1981, after orbiting
   the earth 36 times.

   In 1983, Columbia undertook its second operational mission ( STS-9)
   with 6 astronauts, including the first non-American astronaut on a
   space shuttle, Ulf Merbold. On January 12, 1986, Columbia took off with
   the first Hispanic American astronaut, Dr. Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, as
   well as the first sitting member of the House of Representatives in
   space, Bill Nelson. Another first was announced on March 5, 1998 when
   NASA named U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Eileen Collins as commander of a
   future Columbia mission — making Collins the first female commander of
   a space shuttle mission.

Prototype orbiter

   Columbia, unlike her operational sister ships, was built with the
   technologies that were available at the time of her construction in
   Palmdale in the mid-1970s. One major difference between Columbia and
   later orbiters was the use of heavier-weight spars in the wings and
   fuselage. Thus, despite thermal protection and mechanical improvements
   over the course of her lifetime, Columbia would never weigh as little
   unloaded as the orbiters in the current fleet (Challenger, despite
   improvements during her conversion from the Structural Test Article
   (STA-099) into an operational orbiter (OV-099), was also heavy,
   although it was 2,200 lb. lighter than Columbia during her brief
   operational lifetime).

   Externally, Columbia was the only orbiter in the fleet that originally
   had an all-tile thermal protection system (TPS). The all-tile TPS would
   later be modified to incorporate nomex felt insulation blankets on the
   fuselage and upper wing surfaces — work that was performed during
   Columbia's first retrofitting and the post-Challenger stand-down. Also
   unique to Columbia were the black "chines" on the shuttle's upper wing
   surfaces. These black areas were part of Columbia's wing design to
   distinguish it from Enterprise, and also because the first shuttle's
   designers did not know how reentry heating would affect the craft's
   upper wing surfaces.

   Until its last refit, Columbia was the only operational orbiter with
   wing markings consisting of an American flag on the left wing and the
   letters "USA" on the right. From its last refit to its destruction,
   Columbia bore markings identical to those of its sister orbiters — the
   NASA "meatball" logo on the left wing and the American flag and
   "Columbia" designation on the right; only the wing "chines" remained.
   Many NASA employees and nostalgic space buffs were upset that the
   historical markings were removed, but the procedure was insisted upon
   by NASA Administrator Dan Goldin.

   Another unique external feature, termed the "SILTS" pod, was located on
   the top of Columbia's tailfin, and was installed after STS-9 to acquire
   infrared and other thermal data. Though the pod's equipment was removed
   after initial tests, NASA decided to leave it in place, mainly to save
   costs along with the agency's future plans to use it for future
   experiments. The tailfin was later modified to incorporate the drag
   chute first used on Endeavour in 1992.

   Internally, Columbia was originally fitted with Lockheed-Martin-built
   ejection seats identical to those found on the SR-71 Blackbird. These
   seats were active on the initial series of orbital test flights, but
   were deactivated after STS-4 and were removed entirely after STS-9.
   Columbia was also the only orbiter not delivered with heads-up displays
   for the pilot and copilot, although these were incorporated after
   STS-9. Like its sister ships, Columbia was eventually retrofitted (at
   its last refit) with the new MEDS "glass cockpit" display and
   lightweight seats. Unlike the other orbiters, Columbia retained an
   internal airlock, but was fitted to accept the external airlock and
   docking adapter needed for flights to the International Space Station.
   This retention of an internal airlock allowed NASA to use Columbia for
   the STS-109 Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, along with the
   Spacehab double module used on STS-107. If Columbia had not been
   destroyed, it would have been fitted with the external airlock/docking
   adapter for mission STS-118, an International Space Station assembly
   mission, in November, 2003.

   After the STS-118 mission, Columbia's career would have started to wind
   down. It was planned to service the HST two more times, one in 2004,
   and again in 2005, but no more missions were planned for it again until
   2009, when on STS-144, it would recover the Hubble Space Telescope from
   orbit and bring it back down to Earth safely. It should be noted,
   however, that the shuttle manifest changes all the time (along with
   orbiters being rotated for retrofit and maintenance "down periods"), it
   would have almost 100% likely Columbia still would have flown during
   that 2005-2009 timeframe.

Flights

   Space Shuttle Columbia flew 28 flights, spent 300.74-days in space,
   completed 4,808 orbits, and flew 125,204,911 miles in total, including
   its final mission.
   Columbia launching during STS-1. The original white-painted external
   tank, as well as Columbia's distinctive black chines, are clearly
   visible
   Enlarge
   Columbia launching during STS-1. The original white-painted external
   tank, as well as Columbia's distinctive black chines, are clearly
   visible
   Date Designation Notes
   1981 April 12 STS-1 First Shuttle mission
   1981 November 12 STS-2 First re-use of manned space vehicle
   1982 March 22 STS-3 Landed White Sands Missile Range First mission with
   an unpainted External tank.
   1982 June 27 STS-4 Last shuttle R&D flight
   1982 November 11 STS-5 First 4 person crew, first deployment of
   commercial satellite
   1983 November 28 STS-9 First 6 person crew. 1st Spacelab.
   1986 January 12 STS-61-C Representative Bill Nelson ( D-FL) on board/
   final successful shuttle flight before Challenger disaster
   1989 August 8 STS-28 Launched KH-11 reconnaissance satellite
   1990 January 9 STS-32 Retrieved Long Duration Exposure Facility
   1990 December 2 STS-35 Carried multiple X-ray & UV telescopes
   1991 June 5 STS-40 5th Spacelab - Life Sciences-1
   1992 June 25 STS-50 U.S. Microgravity Laboratory 1 (USML-1)
   1992 October 22 STS-52 Deployed Laser Geodynamic Satellite II
   1993 April 26 STS-55 German Spacelab D-2 Microgravity Research
   1993 October 18 STS-58 Spacelab Life Sciences
   1994 March 4 STS-62 United States Microgravity Payload-2 (USMP-2)
   1994 July 8 STS-65 International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2)
   1995 October 20 STS-73 United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-2)
   1996 February 22 STS-75 Tethered Satellite System Reflight (TSS-1R)
   1996 June 20 STS-78 Life and Microgravity Spacelab (LMS)
   1996 November 19 STS-80 3rd flight of Wake Shield Facility (WSF)/
   longest Shuttle flight as of 2006
   1997 April 4 STS-83 Microgravity Science Laboratory (MSL)- cut short
   1997 July 1 STS-94 Microgravity Science Laboratory (MSL)- reflight
   1997 November 19 STS-87 United States Microgravity Payload (USMP-4),
   Kalpana Chawla becomes first Indian-born astronaut to fly on the space
   shuttle
   1998 April 13 STS-90 Neurolab - Spacelab
   1999 July 23 STS-93 Deployed Chandra X-ray Observatory
   2002 March 1 STS-109 Hubble Space Telescope service mission (HSM-3B)
   2003 January 16 STS-107 A multi-disciplinary microgravity and Earth
   science research mission. Shuttle destroyed during re-entry on February
   1, 2003 and all seven astronauts on board perished. Hundreds of the
   nematode worms onboard for research survived.

Final mission

   On its final mission, the craft was carrying the first Israeli
   astronaut, Ilan Ramon, and the first female astronaut of Indian birth,
   Kalpana Chawla. Other crew members on the final flight included Rick
   Husband (commander), Willie McCool (pilot), Michael P. Anderson, Laurel
   B. Clark, and David M. Brown.
   Columbia at 8:57 AM At Central New Mexico, debris is comming out from
   the left wing.(shown at dark gray)
   Enlarge
   Columbia at 8:57 AM At Central New Mexico, debris is comming out from
   the left wing.(shown at dark gray)

   On the morning of February 1, 2003, the shuttle re-entered the
   atmosphere after a 16-day scientific mission. NASA lost radio contact
   at about 0900. EST, only minutes before the expected 0916 landing at
   Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Video recordings show the craft
   breaking up in flames over Texas, at an altitude of approximately 39
   miles (63 km) and a speed of 12,500 mph (5.6 km/s).

   In the months following the tragedy, NASA scientists determined that a
   hole was punctured in the leading edge on one of Columbia's wings, made
   of a carbon-carbon composite. The hole had formed when a piece of
   insulating foam from the external fuel tank peeled off during the
   launch 16 days earlier, puncturing the edge of the wing. Hot gases,
   inaccurately described in initial reports as plasma, penetrated the
   interior of the wing, destroying the support structure and causing the
   rest of the shuttle to break apart during the intense heat of re-entry.

   Forensic analysis of the debris was conducted jointly with the
   Materials Science department of Lehigh University. The collected debris
   of the vessel is currently stored on the 16th floor of the Vehicle
   Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Centre; recovered items are
   occasionally loaned for research into the hypersonic flight regime.
   Former NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe vowed that Columbia will not be
   sealed away as the debris from the Challenger was. The debris from
   Challenger is permanently entombed in two Minuteman missile silos at
   Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Trivia

   Columbia lands at the end of STS-1.
   Enlarge
   Columbia lands at the end of STS-1.
     * The members of the crew were honored in 2003 when the USGS's Board
       of Geographic Names approved the name Columbia Point for a 13,980'
       mountain in Colorado's Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Not more than a
       half-mile away lies Challenger Point, a peak named for America's
       other lost shuttle.

     * Columbia flight STS-75 was the first to take the Linux operating
       system into orbit.
     * The March 22, 1982 launch was dedicated by President Ronald Reagan
       to the Afghani people in their struggle against the Soviet Union.

     * The song Countdown by Rush from the 1982 album Signals was written
       by drummer Neil Peart about the inaugural Space Shuttle flight of
       Columbia. The song was "dedicated with thanks to astronauts Young &
       Crippen and all the people of NASA for their inspiration and
       cooperation". The song Red Sector A from their 1983 album Grace
       Under Pressure was named for the area in which the band witnessed
       the launch of Columbia on April 12th, 1981.

     * In the video games Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow for the Game Boy,
       Columbia can be found in the space museum in Pewter City, though
       following the disaster, the updated versions of the game have
       removed the Columbia and simply refer to it as "Space Shuttle".

     * In an episode of Cowboy Bebop, the space shuttle Columbia was used
       to rescue a character from a disabled space vehicle in a decaying
       orbit around Earth. Its appearance is anachronistic, given that the
       show takes place in the far future, but the episode was made before
       the Columbia's disintegration.

     * Columbia is referenced in the 1983 TV movie Starflight: The Plane
       That Couldn't Land. Columbia was used to rescue passengers aboard
       the fictional Hypersonic Transport plane, that was stranded in
       orbit.

     * In Stephen Baxter's 1997 novel Titan, the Space Shuttle Columbia is
       destroyed on re-entry, resulting in the early dismantling of the
       Space Shuttle program.

     * The crew of STS-73 appeared in an episode of Home Improvement, on
       the set of Tool Time.

     * In an episode of the animated Dilbert series, Dogbert is a
       passenger on the Columbia.

     * Shortly after the Columbia disaster, the television show Star Trek:
       Enterprise named the next NX Class starship after the Columbia.

     * In the 2006 film The Omen, a picture of the Space Shuttle Columbia
       disintegrating can be seen alongside itself taking off, the
       September 11, 2001 attacks, and the 2004 Tsunami.

     * The Bill Nye the Science Guy episode "Space Exploration" shows
       Columbia as well as Atlantis taking off. Columbia, however, was
       shown to viewers on how astronauts get on the space shuttle.

     * A video called "Power of Algebra", which taught exponents and was a
       space-related video, features Columbia taking off and landing.

     * A 2006 public service announcement for the United Negro College
       Fund, stating, "A Mind is a Terrible Thing to Waste", shows an
       image of Columbia lifting off.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Shuttle_Columbia"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
