July 1, 2003 7:56 PM

Oops! My bad....

Foam damage 'no concern': NASA e-mail told Columbia crew there was no safety threat

Can you imagine having to live with the burden of having written this e-mail? I wouldn't want to be inhabiting Steve Stich's loafers right about now.

The crew of the shuttle Columbia didn't learn the craft had been struck by debris until a week into its mission, when NASA concluded "there is absolutely no concern" about re-entry, according to e-mails released Monday.

NASA alerted the crew of the debris strike Jan. 23 because officials didn't want astronauts to be caught off guard during an in-flight press conference.

"This item is not even worth mentioning other than wanting to make sure that you are not surprised by it in a question," wrote Steve Stich, Johnson Space Center flight director, to the crew.

Two days later, Columbia Cmdr. Rick Husband responded: "Thanks a million, Steve!"

Of course, hindsight being what it is, this is a horribly unfortunate coda to a horribly unfortunate incident. This is not to suggest that Stich is somehow responsible for the disaster, but in hindsight, it does seem that an opportunity to perhaps save the crew may have been glossed over.

"The impact appears to be totally on the lower surface and no particles traverse over the upper surface of the wing," Stich wrote. "Experts reviewed the high-speed photography and there is no concern for RCC (reinforced carbon carbon covering the wing's leading edges) or tile damage."

Based on Stich's e-mail, the astronauts had nothing to be worried about.

"We have seen this same phenomenon on several other flights and there is absolutely no concern for entry," Stich wrote.

Right. Try telling that to the families of the crew of STS-107.

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on July 1, 2003 7:56 PM.

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