Documentary 2008 - Space Shuttle Disaster (Part 2/7)

At the end of a nearly flawless 15-day mission in early 2003, the space shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere, killing the crew of seven. In this documentary, we probe the accident and the decisions stretching back four decades that made the tragedy almost inevitable.

The Columbia disaster, during the 113th shuttle mission, was the beginning of the end for the space plane. NASA responded by announcing the retirement of the shuttle in 2010, to be replaced by the Orion crew exploration vehicle as part of the Constellation program, which is inspired partly by an earlier generation of Apollo-style rocketry and spacecraft. The decision to retire the space shuttle program is currently under intense review, as it would leave the U.S. with a "space gap" until the new Orion vehicle becomes ready around 2015.

Exploring the past and future of the shuttle through the lens of the Columbia accident, we interview key NASA personnel who witnessed problems with the space shuttle program firsthand, including NASA engineer Rodney Rocha, who tried to sound the alarm about Columbia's potentially damaged condition; and flight director Leroy Cain, who worked with controllers to make sense of a cascade of warning signals from the craft during its ill-fated return to Earth.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• NASA
• Space
• Shuttle
• Disaster
• Columbia

[milaretan]

@kumar95258 That is just some human nauture.

Some of them want to work in library some others try to pass tresholds, no matter how risky it would be :)

[kumar95258]

u r welcome 

[xrggn]

@kumar95258 Your english is. . . . SUPERNATURE

[kumar95258]

why human need to test in envierment or space ..............................­idiots never live with nature and allways try to overtake ........supernature...........­..what they r searching on moon assholes.

[Man2Break]

Anyone know the music at 0:28?

[108Dax]

For the human race to keep on existing we need to move beyond this planet. History has shown that earth can go through mass extinction events. Eggs in one basket and all that. 

[RigamortisTortoise]

5:28 and Obama is doing the exact same thing. Privatizing of the space industry will generate new ideas and be more efficient, but in the long run do we really want mega corporations like Halliburton and GE dominating the space industry?

[poodtang1]

The shuttle program was designed to be something it was not. It was a white elephant since the day it was born.

[DLPBurke]

@centurion180ad If you had any concept of Physics you would not be arguing, and I do have a degree on physics. idiot.

[centurion180ad]

@DLPBurke Please earn a physics degree, then get back to me. Bye bye.