Title Columbia, final voyage : the last flight of NASA's first space shuttle / Philip Chien

Published New York : Copernicus Books, 2006

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Description 1 online resource (viii, 454 pages) : illustrations Contents Mission makers -- The long road to launch -- Sixteen days in space -- February 1, 2003 -- Aftermath Summary On February 1, 2003, the space shuttle Columbia was completing what appeared to be a "routine" spaceflight. Columbia was NASA's oldest shuttle - the very first launched into space (in 1981). Now at the end of its 28th mission - a 16-day flight dedicated to science - it was descending over Texas and just minutes from its scheduled touch-down in Florida. Then something went very wrong. Within a few minutes, media around the globe were reporting the terrible news: The shuttle had broken apart and its crew had perished in a catastrophic, shocking accident. Columbia and its seven astronauts had suddenly become, in the global public eye, anything but routine." "But who were these seven astronauts? They were described as heroes and saints in their eulogies, but what were they really like? And what was the purpose of their mission? Only a handful of reporters actually covered STS-107 (NASA's official name for the mission) from the start, and Philip Chien was one of them. In Columbia - Final Voyage, he describes not just the days and hours leading up to the launch, but the years of training by the crew. How seven people from different backgrounds came together as a team, the seeming endless delays that plagued the mission, the technological and safety challenges facing NASA, and the ingenuity of the scientists who designed Columbia's experiments. And, after years of reporting on the shuttle program and following the progress of STS-107 and its crew, he brings a particularly personal perspective to his descriptions of the seven astronauts who lost their lives. Includes information on Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Dave Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Mike Anderson, Laurel Clark, Ilan Ramon, The search for debris, Was a rescue possible, Memorials, Legacy: the science not lost, charities, etc Analysis ruimtewetenschap space science ruimtevlucht space flight astronomie astronomy Astronomy Astronomie Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index Notes Print version record Subject Columbia (Spacecraft) Space Shuttle Program (U.S.) SUBJECT Space Shuttle Program (U.S.) cct Columbia (Spacecraft) cct Columbia (Spacecraft) fast Space Shuttle Program (U.S.) fast Subject Space shuttles -- Accidents -- United States Space shuttles -- United States Space flights. Astronauts -- United States. Space Flight HEALTH & FITNESS -- Safety. Space shuttles -- United States. Space flights. Astronauts -- United States. Space shuttles -- Accidents -- United States. Sciences sociales. Sciences humaines. Astronomie. Astronauts Space flights Space shuttles Space shuttles -- Accidents United States Form Electronic book ISBN 9780387271491 038727149X 0387271481 9780387271484 9786610612192 6610612196

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