CNN tonight will revisit the disastrous landing of Space Shuttle Columbia in 2003 with two “immersive” specials co-produced by the BBC and Mindhouse Productions, featuring “exclusive interviews and unaired footage,” according to an announcement. will be made public.'' more Special airing next week.
You can watch the trailer here.
Over four episodes, the ticking story of Columbia's final mission is told in dramatic detail. Beginning months before Trouble's launch, he unfolds over 16 days in orbit and ends with an investigation into the tragic loss of seven astronauts. It is alive. Intimate footage shot by the astronauts themselves on board the orbiter, the families of the shuttle crew, key figures at NASA (some of whom we've never spoken to before), and the journalists who covered this story on the ground. Weaving together exclusive first-hand accounts, the series paints an intimate portrait of the women and men on board, forensically detailing the events and missed opportunities that ultimately led to the disaster. I'll clarify.
According to CNN, the first two episodes will be livestreamed tonight at 9pm ET (time delayed until 9pm PT on the West Coast) and will then be available on demand starting Monday for “pay-TV subscribers.” on CNN.com, CNN Connected TV, and the mobile app.'' CNN's website provides “previews'' of live TV programming here.
They promise to “paint the inside story of America's most iconic institution, revealing how financial pressures and a culture of complacency contributed to the events of February 1, 2003.” Masu. The series also reflects the legacy of the space shuttle era. As a timely exploration of the challenges and inherent dangers still relevant to space travel today. ”
CNN also has two related articles on its website. One, by Rice history professor Douglas Brinkley, argues that NASA “was America's crown jewel. After the Columbia disaster, it was never the same.”
Because other shuttle missions had returned safely with surface tiles “shredded,” and because the mighty Columbia had brought astronauts home from 27 previous flights, many NASA officials were complacent. I was falling into a situation. They even assured pilots and captains in an email that there was “no need to worry…the same phenomenon has been seen on several other flights, so there is no need to worry about the approach.”
NASA officials also decided not to use spy satellite photography to more thoroughly investigate damage to the shuttle. If so, the astronauts could have repaired the spaceplane, or at least abandoned it to evacuate to the International Space Station…
As the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) noted in its final report, “NASA's organizational culture had as much to do with this accident as the foam.” All NASA launches were suspended for two years. The shuttle eventually flew again after Columbia, but the program stalled and was scaled back.
The article notes that since then, SpaceX, Blue Origin, and United Launch Alliance (Lockheed Martin and Boeing), along with Virgin Galactic and Axiom Space, are “thriving in the space industry today.” . “Far from feeling threatened, NASA has encouraged many private companies to award huge contracts. NASA already has a long history of doing business with subcontractors, and has used that pocketbook to lead aerospace development.” That tradition has adapted seamlessly to the current universe' economy. “
In a separate article, CNN space science writer Jackie Wattles later wrote that when the US withdrew from the space shuttle program in 2011, “For nearly a decade, American cosmonauts have been unable to fly into space with American-made rockets.'' There were no aviators.”