Click2Disasters - Columbia Disaster: The Story Behind the Explosion - Chapter 1 - Preface

<body link="0000ff" alink="ff0000" vlink="000000" bgcolor=000033> <table width="100%" bgcolor=000033> <tr> <td align=center valign=top><table width=90% bgcolor=ffffff cellpadding=5> <tr> <td align=center valign=top><div align=center><p><b><font face="arial, helvetica" size=5 color=000000><b>COLUMBIA DISASTER:</p> <p>THE STORY BEHIND THE EXPLOSION</b></font></p>  <table width="590"> <tr> <td align="CENTER" valign="top" bgcolor="000000" colspan=2><font face="ARIAL, HELVETICA" size="3" color="FFFFFF"><b>STORY CHAPTER LINKS</b></font></td> </tr> <tr> <td align=center valign=top width=50%>  <table width="100%" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5" border="0"> <tr> <td align="LEFT" valign="TOP"><font face="ARIAL, HELVETICA" size="2"><a href="#preface"><b>1. STORY PREFACE</b></a></font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="LEFT" valign="TOP" width="50%"><font face="ARIAL, HELVETICA" size="2"><b><a href="columbia_disaster_ch2.htm">2. THE SHUTTLE</a></b></font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="LEFT" valign="TOP" width="50%"><font face="ARIAL, HELVETICA" size="2"><b><a href="columbia_disaster_ch3.htm">3. <i>COLUMBIA'S</i> HISTORIC FLIGHT</a></b></font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="LEFT" valign="TOP"><font face="ARIAL, HELVETICA" size="2"><b><a href="columbia_disaster_ch4.htm">4. ABORTING THE MISSION</a></b></font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="LEFT" valign="TOP"><font face="ARIAL, HELVETICA" size="2"><b><a href="columbia_disaster_ch5.htm">5. THE HEAT TILES</a></b></font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="LEFT" valign="TOP"><font face="ARIAL, HELVETICA" size="2"><a href="columbia_disaster_ch6.htm"><b>6. EXTERNAL TANK INSULATION</b></a></font> </td> </tr> </table>  </td> <td align=center valign=top width=50%>  <table width=311 cellpadding=5 cellspacing=5 border=0 height="171"> <tr> <td align="LEFT" valign="TOP"><font face="ARIAL, HELVETICA" size="2"><a href="columbia_disaster_ch7.htm"><b>7. <i>COLUMBIA'S</i> CREW</b></a></font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="LEFT" valign="TOP"><font face="ARIAL, HELVETICA" size="2"><b><a href="columbia_disaster_ch8.htm">8. <i>COLUMBIA'S</i> LAST LAUNCH</a></b></font> </td> <tr> <td align="LEFT" valign="TOP"><font face="ARIAL, HELVETICA" size="2"><b><a href="columbia_disaster_ch9.htm">9. THE INSULATION PROBLEM</a></b></font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="LEFT" valign="TOP"><font face="ARIAL, HELVETICA" size="2"><b><a href="columbia_disaster_ch10.htm">10. <i>COLUMBIA'S</i> LAST MINUTES</a></b></font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="LEFT" valign="TOP"><font face="ARIAL, HELVETICA" size="2"><b><a href="columbia_disaster_ch11.htm">11. <i>COLUMBIA</i> IS LOST</a></b></font> </td> </tr> <tr> <td align="LEFT" valign="TOP"><font face="ARIAL, HELVETICA" size="2"><b><a href="columbia_disaster_ch12.htm">12. USED AND RECOMMENDED SOURCES</a></b></font> </td> </table>  </td> </tr> </table>  <p><font size="3"><u><b><a name="preface">PREFACE</a></b></u></font></b></p> <div align=center><font face="Times New Roman" color="000000" size="3"><b><i>It’s gone.<br> There are no survivors.<br><br></i></b> President George W. Bush<br> February 1, 2003<br></font><br> </div> <center> <table width="90%"> <td align="left" valign="top"> <div align="justify"> <p><font face="arial, helvetica" color="000000" size="3"><a href="http://media.nara.gov/media/images/40/19/40-1866a.gif" target="_blank"><b>Ronald Reagan</b></a>, a <a href="http://media.nara.gov/media/images/12/1/12-0078a.gif" target="_blank"><b>survivor</b></a> of John Hinkley’s bullet, studied the television screen as <i>Columbia</i> - America’s first shuttle - <a href="http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/STS1/10060327.jpg" target="_blank"><b>blasted</b></a> into space. It was April 12, 1981. The President had been shot two weeks <a href="http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/photos/large/c1475-13.jpg" target="_blank"><b>before</b></a> (on March 30, 1981) and was recovering in the Lincoln Bedroom of the White House.</p> <p>In 2001, as Mr. Reagan battled the debilitating effects of Alzheimer’s Disease, NASA celebrated the 20th anniversary of that historic <a href="http://images.jsc.nasa.gov/images/pao/STS1/10060320.jpg" target="_blank"><b>first flight</b></a>. Although the oldest shuttle in the fleet, <i> Columbia</i> (OV-102) had been <a href="http://spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/features/000414overhaul/qtvr/index.html" target="_blank"><b>refitted</b></a>. She would soon be ready for another mission - STS 107 - which was <a href="http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/goddardnews/20020621/freestar.html" target="_blank"><b>delayed</b></a> until January 16, 2003.</p> <p>This time, however the shuttle would fly without a robotic arm onboard. This time, there would be no space walks. This time, the mission was completely dedicated to scientific experiments.</p> <p>And this time - another first for <i> Columbia</i> - an American Supersonic Transport Shuttle would fail to successfully re-enter Earth’s atmosphere.</p> </div> <p align="right"><font face="arial, helvetica" size="2"><a href="columbia_disaster_ch2.htm">GO TO CHAPTER 2</a></font></p> <p align="center"><font face="arial, helvetica" size="3"><a href="http://www.awesomestories.com/content/about_author.htm" target="_blank"><b>Author: Carole D. Bos, J.D.</b></center></a></p><br> </table>  </td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table>  </body>