World looks for answers

When the space shuttle Challenger exploded on liftoff 17 years and four days ago, it was seen as a great tragedy for the US. But the destruction of the space shuttle Columbia, as it neared its final touchdown on Saturday morning, is likely to be seen as an international tragedy, even beyond the fact that the first Israeli astronaut died in the accident.

NASA and government officials were scrambling to discover the reason that the orbiter broke apart in flames over Texas. Seven astronauts, six Americans and one Israeli, died in the incident. The shuttle disappeared around 9 a.m. EST, about 15 minutes before it was scheduled to land at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Residents of eastern Texas reported hearing a "window-rattling boom" and seeing white smoke plumes in the sky.

"A contingency for the space shuttle has been declared," Mission Control repeated again and again as it was unable to reestablish communication with the shuttle.

In a late afternoon briefing Saturday, NASA shuttle director Ron Dittemore said the first indication of trouble came a few minutes before 8 a.m. CST when Mission Control reported the loss of temperature sensors in the hydraulic systems on the shuttle's left wing. A few minutes later, they saw a loss of tire pressure indicators in the tire well of the left wheel. Dittemore said there was then an indication of excessive structural heating on the left side. Ground control then lost communication with the shuttle.

Dittemore said that he and his teams would be poring over the data and feedback for "24 hours a day for the foreseeable future."

Addressing the nation on TV, President Bush said that "this day has brought terrible news and great sadness to our country." Mr. Bush said the astronauts knew the dangers and faced them willingly. "Their courage, darling and idealism will mean that we will only miss them all the more.

"The same Creator who names the stars also knows the names of the seven souls we mourn today," said Bush. "The crew of the shuttle Columbia did not return safely to Earth; yet we can pray that all are safely home."

Saturday morning, immediate speculation centered on whether an incident that took place when the shuttle launched on Jan. 16 might have played a role in the breakup. Shortly after Columbia lifted off, a piece of insulating foam on its external fuel tank came off and was believed to have hit the left wing. But, on Friday, the lead flight director in Mission Control assured reporters that engineers had concluded that if the wing had been hit, the damage would have been minor and would have posed no threat to the crew.

There are several astronauts on the International Space Station who were due to come home in March on a US shuttle, according to a NASA official. It is unlikely that mission will take place on time, the official said. The astronauts were resupplied recently by a Russian spacecraft and could return via a Soyez capsule that is part of the station. Or another Russian space mission could be launched in time to bring the astronauts back to Earth, if needed. They have enough supplies to last until the end of June, NASA officials said.

Page: 1 | 2