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ФФФФФФФФФ>ФФФФФФФФФ>ФФФФФФФФФ>Chop Here>ФФФФФФФФФ>ФФФФФФФФФ>ФФФФФФФФФ>ФФФФФФФФФ What was the effect of the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster on NASA and the Future of the United States Space Program? This was the major question proposed during the late 1980's. What was the future of NASA going to be after this terrible disaster? Would there be enough funding for the continuation of the United States Space Program? This Challenger explosion was one of the major catastrophes of the entire Space Program since the beginning of funding for the Space Program was started. It seems, out of all the mistakes that NASA and the United States government has ever made, this one made a lasting impression on many Americans, and foreign authority figures all over the world. The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster was a major tragedy. However, it was a tragedy that could have been prevented with a closer inspection of one of the shuttle's parts that had been of concern since the entire Space Shuttle Program had been started; the O-Ring. Inside the Solid Rocket Booster, there exists certain seals which were the rubber O-rings. The objective of the O-rings is to act as a seal that is meant to prevent gases from escaping through the Solid Rocket Booster. One of the main reasons for the explosion was that O-ring "flexed" and let the gases escape, which in less than seconds later, caught fire and created the explosion. Among the other minor problems were those of electrical problems and faulty gages which were just "overlooked" because the problems were only minor and they posed no real threat to the safety of the mission or the crew of seven(7). 11:39:17am, Tuesday, January 28th, 1986. As the Space Shuttle Challenger soared into the sky that morning, 74 seconds into flight, it exploded, killing all 7 crew members on board including one High-School teacher. This was the worst accident in the history of the U.S. Space Program. It was witnessed by thousands of spectators and visitors who watched at the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded before their eyes. Among the crew killed were: Francis R. Scobee, Commander; Michael J. Smith, Pilot; Judith A. Resnick, Electrical Engineer; Ellison S. Onizuka, Engineer; Ronald E. McNair, Physicist; Gregory R. Jarvis, Electrical Engineer; Christa McAuliffe, High-School teacher. For most of the crew, it was just an ordinary mission with the exception of the school teacher. For Christa McAuliffe, it was everything out of the ordinary. She was the one out of many applicants that had the opportunity to ride in the Space Shuttle to help teach children all over the country about the experiments she was going to accomplish in space. As the spectators at Kennedy Space Center watched, everyone was in disbelief including many of the technicians inside the control room communicating with Francis Scobee, the Commander of the Shuttle Challenger. This experience is best described through a passage between Challenger and the Control Room which occurred as this: "Challenger lifted off...and passed Mach One, the speed of sound, at 19,000 feet. The computers throttled back the three main engines to 65 percent of thrust, anticipating the stress that the engineers call Max-Q, maximum aerodynamic pressure. 'Okay, we're throttling down,' Scobee reassured his crew as the thrust dropped. For fourteen seconds they swayed and jolted silently in their seats while the shuttle chopped through wind shear. 'Throttling up', Scobee called, watching the bright lines of his flight data screen. 'Throttle up', Smith confirmed from his own instruments 'Roger', Dick Scobee formally acknowledged. 'Feel that mother go', Smith called, noting the violent surge of power. As the Challenger climbed, its computers processed millions of bits of data, sifting, sorting, and sending it down to the Cape where it was instantly re- transmitted to the Mission Control Room at Johnson Space Center in Texas. Inside the control room, the technicians saw that the Challenger's engines had returned normally to full thrust, and that the ascent was proceeding perfectly. CAPCOM Richard Covey hunched at his console, his face tight with concentration. 'Challenger",... "go at throttle up." On Challenger's noisy flight deck, Commander Scobee punched his transmit button and replied, 'Roger, go at throttle up.' It was exactly seventy seconds after lift-off. The Shuttle was near 50,000 feet...but in the next three seconds Challenger slammed through increasingly violent maneuvers. Mike Smith voiced sudden apprehension. 'Uh-oh.' In Mission Control, the pulsing digits on the screens abruptly stopped. At the top of each console screen, a frozen while "S" was now centered. Static, no down-link. Challenger was dead. Mission Control spokesman Steve Nesbit sat...he stared around the silent, softly lit room. The red trajectory line was stationary on the display screen. Finally, he spoke: 'Flight controllers here are looking very carefully at the situation. Obviously a major malfunction." (Excerpts from Challenger, a Major Malfunction, McConnell, Introduction.) This was one of the more moving at sensitive words spoken at the time which showed the disbelief many had and how such a mistake could have been made. The deaths of the astronauts lie in the memories of many, including students across the country and the world. Christa McAuliffe's parents called them all "heroes" and that they have grief and condolences for all people effected everywhere by the tragedy. McAuliffe's parents were thankful that their lives were kept private during this hard time, and they said that even with this terrible disaster, life must go on. Across the seas, there was also feelings of sorrow and disbelief. Pope John Paul II at the Vatican on January 30th, 1986 at the Vatican he talked and comforted the people about the loss of the American astronauts. He talked to the people, and made this lasting preach: "I lift up to God a fervent prayer so that he accepts in his embrace the souls of these courageous pioneers in progress of science and of man." (The New York Times, Jan. 30th, 1986; A16) Along with the Pope, Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi sent his "personal condolences" to the families and friends of the American astronauts. "It is a very sad day, not only for all Americans, but for all humanity." (NY Times, Jan. 30th, 1986; A16). Mikhail S. Gorbachev also sent condolences over to the United States for the death of the seven astronauts. From quotes from the Soviet people, they had high expectations of American technology and were devastated that such a tragedy could occur. Showing support, they have not lost faith, claims a citizen in Russia. For Americans especially, it was a sad and mournful day. Many Americans were thankful of the warm and thoughtful condolences that many of the foreign nations of the world sent to the United States for support. Among the most surprised commentator, was Muammar Quadaffi due to the feelings of unrest that the United States had toward Libya and vice versa. Overall, Americans were pleased and thankful of the support they received across the world to deal with the deaths. Many people were especially hopeful about the health statistics of the astronauts. They hoped that the crew could have survived the 10 mile decent into the ocean at speeds of over 400 mph. This could have been a possibility at first, since technicians believed that since the explosion occurred in the rear of the shuttle, the cabin might still be in tact, yet the astronauts would probably be unconscious. However, this was not the case. NASA officials speculate that either the astronauts died in the shuttle in the air, or they were unconscious and died from impact into the water or drowning. The body remains were later airlifted to Houston where they received a proper burial. After peoples' feeling had calmed to a certain degree, NASA and the United States Government began the tedious task of trying to find out what exactly caused the explosion. At first thoughts, NASA workers believed that there was a hydrogen gas leak from the huge external fuel tank which carried 350,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen and more than 140,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen which could have acted as a "small" hydrogen bomb. After weeks and months of investigations, it was found that along with a slight hydrogen gas leak, the main cause of the explosion was the O- ring which was vital to the Space Shuttles. When the O-ring failed, it seals in the sub-zero temperatures to which the Shuttles stack was exposed to. (Shuttle Challenger, 50.) Accompanying the temperatures, the hydrogen mixed with that causing the explosion which killed all 7 crew member aboard. Contrary to what people had originally thought, there were no human errors to be found in the transcripts. According to the transmission between Commander Scobbe and the Houston and Kennedy Space Center technicians, everything was fine in terms of communications, and the "...go with throttle up" (as described in the transcript of the communications) was a "normal" adjustment that would occur on any other shuttle at any other given time. When the "...go with throttle up" commenced, the pressure for the O-ring was to great, letting the hydrogen leak out, thus causing the explosion. The weather conditions might also have been a factor. There was a cold front coming into the area which did make the air temperature very cold for Florida weather. There were actually icicles hanging from the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. This was another of the contributing factors. If there is cold enough temperatures to have ice, then the shuttle should not have been launched for two main reasons. First, that a shuttle has never before been launched in such cold temperatures and second, that some parts, such as the faulty O-ring would not stand the pressure of the coldness. At first, after the Challenger exploded, either everyone was blaming everyone else, or no one knew who to point the finger at. The only people to turn to were the makers of the Shuttles. Rockwell Corporation was one of the companies involved in the building of the Space Shuttles. This organization was in charge of building the major shuttle parts including the fuselage, and the pay-load doors. This corporation earned about $3 for building the four shuttles operating at the time; Columbia, Challenger, Discovery and Atlantis. Martin Marietta Corporation was another company involved in the building of the shuttles. They build the huge external fuel tank which was part of the cause of the disaster of the Challenger. Morton Thiokol Inc. was the nation's leading supplier for the solid-fuel rocket boosters. Even though the sold- fule rocket booster were not believed to be a cause of the disaster, they were still questioned and reported about back to NASA. Lockheed was not of major concern to NASA for evidence of the disaster because Lockheed was basically responsible for the maintenance of the shuttle such as cleaning, maintaining, and testing the shuttles before every launch. Their tests were checked for structural damage of parts of the shuttle, but they were later dismissed. Grumman corporation, like Lockheed was also somewhat dismissed of any fault in the explosion due to the parts that they specialize in. Grumman only builds the wings for the shuttles which were of no concern in the disaster since they were working up to order. Among other companies dismissed of any wrong-doings in building parts or supervision were General Dynmaics, Boeing, and McDonnel Douglass Corporation. The Future of NASA was the main question that was discussed after the disaster. After the Challenger disaster, there were no more shuttle flights of any kind for over eighteen months. NASA wanted to "re-group" and re-design some parts that they think would have tremendous improvements to the entire shuttle fleet. Some of the parts that were re- designed were parts of the Main External Tank, the Solid Rocket Boosters, and the O-ring. The major disadvantage that the Space Shuttle Challenger had, along with the Columbia, was that since they were the first two shuttles produced, they had 1970's technology designing. Thus, improvements could have, and needed to be made. The next question on NASA's mind was that should their be another budget for a new shuttle. Among the remaining shuttles (from oldest to newest) were: Enterprise (a test- shuttle only, has never been in orbit.), Columbia (still operational), Challenger (destroyed), Discovery, (still operational), and Atlantis (still operational). These three main shuttles could serve NASA through the 1990's, but after that would be too difficult. The primary objective of NASA in the early 1970's was to have a space station (which is still the idea) called Freedom in the year 2020. The shuttles would not be able to last that long by only having three working ones. So, NASA asked Congress for funds to build a forth working shuttle. Congress leaders supported the idea of building a new shuttle, but they believed that budget restrictions might hinder the effort. Representative Edward P. Boland of Massachussetts (D) stated that "...I would have a forth orbiter...I don't think NASA can meet its requirements for the space flights without it." (NY Times, Jan. 30th, 1986; A16). A new space vehicle would cost about $2 billion dollars. (NOTE: At this time during 1986, no immediate funding was given to NASA for a fourth shuttle. However, in 1989, a new shuttle was being built called the Endeavour, which would be America's best and last shuttle. Best, because it has better technology than the other shuttles. Last, because the four shuttles are designed for one-hundred missions each, and they would all last until the year 2020 when the Space Station Freedom is to be built.) Eighteen months after the Challenger Disaster, the Space Shuttle Columbia lifted off perfectly without a glitch. This helped to cure many feelings that some Americans had about other possible problems that might cause another explosion to occur. If another disaster had occurred, then manned shuttle flights would have been abolished, and only un-maned rockets would be sent into Space. This would limit NASA's capabilities and virtually ruin the dream of the Space Station because with manned space-craft, many arduous tasks could be accomplished in space such as the space station and the fixing of satellites, which could not be done by mechanical means. People also did not want to have the Soviet Union nor Japan excel in their quest for Space Exploration, so they wanted to have high hopes for the American technology. After the Challenger disaster, there were many books, thesis's, tributes to the crew of Challenger, and tributes to McAullife, written for the astronauts which are still remembered over six years later. The name Challenger is also retired, so that no other ship in the future of NASA will have any similarities to Challenger. My opinion is special to my own. At the time of the disaster, I was in 5th grade and I had just come home when I saw on the news..."This is a Special Report...Peter Jennings reporting." I was often amazed and excited about what they were going to say when my favorite television shows were interrupted, or likewise when they had a "real" broadcast of the Emergency Broadcast System; that annoying beep. Still, that day I was neither amazed nor excited, just for a 5th grader, confused. I felt sorrow and sadness for all of the astronauts, yet pride for them since they all had risked their lives for the benefit of the American people. At the time of the disaster, I felt that NASA and the entire United States space program was set back years. However, the past few years have been positive ones with the successful launching of over two dozen shuttles. And, the other day of this week, the newest shuttle just completed, Endeavour, had launched successfully into space, and, while in space, performing what it set out to do; fix and attach rockets to a satellite (called Instelat) hat was orbiting too low in the Earth's for it to function properly. On the last attempt to retrieve it, the three Astronaut space-walkers attached it to the cargo bay of the shuttle and set it off to a higher orbit. With these many accomplishments that NASA and the United States Government has made in the last 3 years, I believe that the Space Program is back on track better than it was before the accident due to the vast knowledge we have now of "learning from our mistakes." Now, it can be told true, that we can explore Space, the Final Frontier, to where ever its limits may be.