After nearly 11 years as CNN's space correspondent, Miles O'Brien was covering the launch of Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003 at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
As part of its post-launch routine, NASA began sharing several replays of the launch from various cameras trained on the vehicle. And then we saw it. Producer Dave Santucci called me over to the live track and said, “Look at this.” It was a grainy image that looked like a puff of smoke, as if someone had dropped a bag of flour on the ground and it cracked. I played it over and over again and it wasn't good at all. The giant orange fuel tank was filled with cryogenic liquid hydrogen and oxygen and wrapped in insulating foam. A large piece of foam broke off near a strut called a “bipod” and struck the leading edge of the orbiter's left wing. It was made of reinforced carbon to protect the spacecraft's aluminum structure from the searing heat of entering the atmosphere from space.
I reached out to some of the sources within the Shuttle program. Of course everyone witnessed it, but those I spoke to advised me not to worry. The foam is very light and I fell off it in a previous mission, so nothing to worry about happened as a result…I wish I hadn't taken my eye off the ball. The universe is my beat and I was in a unique position to put this momentous event into the public domain. Like the leadership at NASA, I went through a process of convincing myself that it was okay. But I felt this sinking feeling. That wasn't right. Re-entering the atmosphere at 17,500 miles per hour (much faster than a rifle bullet), the spacecraft is enveloped in an inferno of glowing plasma…
[As it returned to earth 16 days later] Communication between the ground and the orbiter became extraordinary. The producers in the control room realized the gravity of the situation and went into a commercial break to get me off the couch. As I made my way across the newsroom, I started to feel heavy. In an instant I realized that they were all gone. There was no survivable scenario. I felt sick. It was like a body blow. Somehow I assembled my actions and started talking. I felt it was my responsibility to mention the foam strike and disseminate that information to the public. About an hour after Columbia disintegrated, I shared what I knew with a large audience around the world… “That bipod was destroyed in front of the wing by a small piece of foam that fell off.'' That’s where they think they hit the rim.”
During the mission, I could have easily told the story about the foam attack and disseminated information that some NASA engineers believe there may be reason for concern. What if I had done that? That could have made a difference.
“A rescue mission would not have been impossible,” the article concludes, “if NASA administrators had seen that gaping hole in Columbia's wing, I'm sure they would have attempted it.” are doing.
“We'll never know for sure, but we do know that many of us on the ground weren't up to the task during that mission. That still haunts me.”
CNN will air the final two episodes of the four-part series Space Shuttle Columbia: Final Flight Tonight at 9pm ET (time delay until 9pm PT on the West Coast). His website for CNN offers a “preview” of the live TV show here.
News episodes (along with past episodes) will also be available on demand starting Monday, “for pay-TV subscribers on CNN.com, CNN Connected TV, and via the mobile app.” It is also available for purchase on Amazon Prime.
