Never Heard Before! Shocking Final Words Of Space Shuttle Columbia STS-107!

The tragedy of February 1, 2003 will not be soon forgotten. Many have speculated about video existing during the final break up of Columbia while others wonder what the crew was going through.

I wondered on to the Freedom Of Information Act Request section of a NASA web site relating the the Columbia Accident and have, unfortunately found what does sound like a panic-stricken transmission. A short "yelp" followed by "popping" noises and then the panic filled transmission. More popping and static ending with a transmission from Rick Husband, "And Houston..." Even more disturbing is the part not heard on other NASA videos that the crew reported flight control problems.

Since this is audio on a very particular audio loop in mission control, it does not contain the absolute final message, "Roger, uhhhh..."

The original 58 minute audio loop (shown by the GMT stamp on intro) is no longer available from NASA but they did have this condensed version which is othwerwise uncut or altered except for volume and the removal of the last 15 or so seconds which has nothing on it at all.

Help is appreciated if anybody can understand the panic transmission. I would like to get it annotated for all.

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Tags:

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• nasa
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• accident
• disaster
• explosion
• video
• columbia crew
• sts-107
• sts107
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• kennedy space center
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• debris

[TheOnlineCommunity]

@yourjudgeandjury Last time I watched it, the last transmission heard was, "And, uh, Houston-". I just watched it again, and, unless I'm mistaken, that's now gone and it's replaced by the "feeling the heat" sounding comment. Am I mistaken or did you change it somehow?

[xXDEICIDE216Xx]

Wow. May these brave souls rest easy for they have died a true warriors death and deserve all rights and privileges that come with that.

[plotchickens]

Last one ordinarily played in recordings of mission control are "Roger, uh bu-", followed by static.

I was under the impression that 'feeling the heat' was actually from earlier in the transmission.

[KyleP133]

@KyleP133 And it's not so much the failure rate, it's the fact that the failures were caused by all the design compromises that were made. The shuttle was not cheaper. It was not more capable. And it was not safer. Solid Rocket Boosters, as dangerous as they are, could have been much safer if they used a local manufacturer that was going to make them in one solid piece. That means no O-rings to fail in the cold. The shuttle is amazing technologically, but not capable, cheap, or safe.

[KyleP133]

@DarkMuu666 The shuttle had a 1/67 failure rate. That's pretty high. The dangers associated with the shuttle were due to ridiculous design criteria that forced them into using 1. a giant reusable craft (so effective, common heat shields were impractical) and that necessitated using dangerous (and then segmented) solid rocket boosters. All this for a more expensive vehicle that cant get past low earth orbit. The program was and still is a complete farce.

[amgen52]

@Cowcharge I agree with you but the shuttle flew 135 times for a 98.5 sucess rate. That is comparable to any other launch system out there manned or unmanned.

[DarkMuu666]

@Cowcharge Like I said, I'm considering the circumstances. Hell the Challenger was something that could have been avoided on the ground, so really it'd be less(Strictly humans being idiots there, Columbia is a grey gamble area) When you are dealing with the forces involved, the amount of individual pieces of the craft that could malfunction, the hostility of going up to and downfrom, and existing in space, we've come a LONG way.

[Cowcharge]

@DarkMuu666 I loved the shuttle, don't get me wrong. But a 2% per flight death rate is way too high for an aircraft. They only flew 114 missions.

[DarkMuu666]

@Cowcharge You are forgetting how many times they flew. The shuttles are not bad. You are disregarding everything else for two accidents in an incredibly hostile environment; and technology we have yet to make universally safe. For the span of decades the shuttles were operating they did a good job.

[Cowcharge]

@DarkMuu666 They only built six, and only flew five, so yeah, losing two out of five is saying something, all right.

[DarkMuu666]

Definately sounds like "feelin' that heat", not "and uh, Hou-" I don't know where they got that from.

[DarkMuu666]

@KyleP133 We only had two major accidents involving the shuttles. That's saying something. The issue was error in human judgement. Challenger could have been avoided if they would have waited for warmer weather, and Columbia...well, the crew might have been saved if we could bring up another shuttle. Going to space is a risk, and there are people out there willing to risk their lives to advance us further in space research.