Launch on Need by Daniel Guiteras (small books to read txt) 📗

Stangley stood with the microphone in his hand, the black foam grip handle absorbing the faint sweat in his palm. He had convinced a CNN producer that a live shot from the observation gantry at the Kennedy Space Center would be a dramatic vantage point for his exclusive report, and she’d agreed.

The January air was cool, and a light breeze swirled in around him through the metal-grate decking, fanning the perspiration on his forehead. He could not remember the last time he felt this charge of nervousness. The months without work, the months that had passed without a single accomplishment, were losing their grip on him. Still, weeks would pass before he would realize the full impact of tonight’s report.

Up on the gantry, they were met by a NASA press liaison, a middle-aged woman with whom Stangley had worked on and off for more than seven years. She reached out to shake his hand, “It’s really great to have you back with us John. God knows you’ve been through hell.”

“Thanks. It feels like I’ve been away from this place for…”

Stangley broke off as the cameraman touched his earphones and motioned to Stangley that it was time.

“Okay, guys, we go live in five, four…” The cameraman signaled “one” with his finger, and then a red “on air” light at the front of the camera switched on.

In the CNN newsroom, a commercial was ending and the on-screen graphics and running news crawler replaced it on screens across America; the bumper music faded off. The anchorwoman looked up from her notes and into the camera, waiting for her cue. Stangley stood idle in the right-hand split-screen.

“Welcome back to CNN, I’m Stephanie Lance,” Stangley heard through his earpiece. He listened for his cue. “Two days ago, Space Shuttle Columbia blasted off into space to begin a 16-day science mission. CNN has just learned that what was thought to be a flawless launch is now being called into question. We go now to the Kennedy Space Center, where our senior science correspondent, John Stangley, is standing by with this exclusive report. John?”

“Thank you, Stephanie. I’m standing on the third deck of the launch gantry here at the Kennedy Space Center, a popular point of interest to Florida visitors. The sun’s been down about a half-hour now but if you look closely over my left shoulder, off in the distance, oh about a half a mile or so behind me, you can see a dimly lit Launch Pad 39A, where Columbia and her crew of seven astronauts began their 16-day mission just yesterday morning. CNN learned less than an hour ago that engineers and management at NASA have become concerned about possible damage to Columbia’s wing—this after NASA photo and video experts reviewed Columbia’s launch films and discovered that foam insulation from the shuttle’s external fuel tank apparently broke off during launch and struck Columbia’s left wing. We are told that teams here at Kennedy Space Center and at the Johnson Space Center in Houston are reviewing the severity of this finding, and are deciding on an appropriate course of action.”

Stangley touched his earpiece as he heard Lance break in with a question.

“John, what does this mean for the crew of Columbia?”

“Well, Stephanie, we’re just hearing of this problem now and it’s hard to speculate what this could mean for Columbia’s crew. NASA will, of course, be investigating the severity of this problem over the next few days. I wouldn’t expect the crew to have experienced any problems in orbit—in fact it’s probably safe to say that the astronauts don’t even know about the problem yet. But the biggest potential for a serious problem comes during reentry, when the leading edge and underside of Columbia’s wing are subjected to temperatures over 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit. If the thermal protection system has been breached and those specially designed black tiles have been damaged by the foam strike, then this could be a very serious problem.”

Lance interjected again, asking her final prepared question. “John, some of our viewers may be wondering if foam loss is a new problem for the Shuttle—what can you tell us about that?”

“Well, Stephanie, it’s certainly not a new problem. NASA has had a long-standing problem with foam loss from the external tank,” Stangley said as he looked down at the prop papers in his hand and pretended to read something for the camera. He did not need notes, though—his own space-program database had magically come back on-line. Facts and figures were ready at his lips, easy and natural as a reunion with an old friend.

“To give you a sense of this foam-loss problem, of the seventy-nine shuttle flights where launch video is available for analysis, more than eighty percent of those flights show some degree of foam loss. What makes this foam loss so significant is the size of the debris, and that it struck the wing relatively late in the launch, meaning the shuttle was traveling at a high rate of speed. We’re told that a press conference is expected sometime tomorrow, we’re not sure exactly when at this point, but we hope to have more concrete details for you then. I will be following this story and will pass on information as it becomes available. Reporting live from Kennedy Space Center, this is John Stangley.”

Chapter 8

Johnson Space Center, Houston

Mission Evaluation Room

Mission Management Team Meeting (unscheduled)

Saturday, Jan. 18, 2003

JULIE POLLARD STOOD UP from her assigned place at the large rectangular 12-seat conference table, signaling she was ready to begin. “Okay, let’s get started, we have a lot to cover… Are you, are you having trouble with your mike? Oh, okay, you looked like you…,” Pollard said to a panel member. “Everyone’s good then? Can everyone hear me in the back? I know we’re very crowded today, thank you all for coming.”

Pollard paused briefly, purposefully, she had the floor