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 Previous: NASA Chief Promises Responsible, Accountable Investigation into Tragedy |  Next: Amateur Radio Community Joins in Mourning Loss of Columbia Astronauts |
NEWINGTON, CT, Feb 2, 2003--Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES) members in
Nacogdoches, Texas, have been assisting local emergency management officials
and NASA to locate and catalog debris from the Columbia shuttle. The
shuttle and its crew of seven was lost over Texas February 1 as it was
returning to Earth. The ARES volunteers are members of the Nacogdoches Amateur
Radio Club. Amateur Radio has a long relationship with the human spaceflight
program through the Space Amateur Radio EXperiment (SAREX) and the Amateur
Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) programs. Three of the seven
astronauts were Amateur Radio licensees.
Tim Lewallen, KD5ING, of the Nacogdoches club says ARES members have been working in tandem with students from the Stephen F. Austin College of Forestry HUES/Geographical Information Systems Lab. The ARES volunteers have been surveying the City and the County of Nacogdoches looking for shuttle debris, he said.
"When located, the debris is photographed, and its position is determined using Geographical Information System satellites and receivers," said Lewallen, who noted that his normally quiet community has been overrun with national news media since the Saturday morning catastrophe. "The data is later downloaded into a database, and the debris points will be superimposed over maps in the hope that patterns will help NASA officials determine the nature of the catastrophic failure of the space shuttle."
ARES volunteers also are following up on NASA-provided telemetry and radar information that indicates where debris might be found, Lewallen said. The ARES group is coordinating the entire effort, Lewallen said, adding that the recovery and cataloging effort was expected to continue for several more days. The search area--estimated unofficially at hundreds of square miles--includes densely forested regions.
Residents of Nacogdoches and elsewhere reported hearing the heavens reverberate as the shuttle flew by some 39 miles above Texas and began seeing debris begin to rain down. One piece reportedly struck a roof; another larger piece is said to have splashed into a reservoir. Still other pieces have landed in backyards and on streets and highways. NASA officials have confirmed--without providing any details--that human remains have been located on the ground in St Augustine County, Texas. A flight helmet and a patch also were found. Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana will serve as the staging area for all Columbia debris.
NASA has established a telephone hotline and e-mail addresses for the public to report any information on debris or who has video or film evidence that might be of value to the investigators. NASA directed telephone reports to 281-483-3388. E-mail text reports and images to nasamitimages@jsc.nasa.gov and columbiaimages@nasa.gov.
NASA has requested that those encountering debris avoid any contact with it "because it may be hazardous as a result of toxic propellants aboard the shuttle." NASA also has cautioned that unauthorized persons found with accident debris in their possession "will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law."
Despite the warnings, some debris already has been reported stolen. What was said to be shuttle debris at one point was offered for sale via an Internet auction site until the site's proprietors removed the listings. It's not known if the offers were genuine, however.
NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe yesterday urged anyone finding shuttle debris to leave it undisturbed "so we can piece together the puzzle of what happened."
The STS-107 crew, headed by Commander Rick Husband, included Pilot Willie McCool and Mission Specialists Kalpana "KC" Chawla, KD5ESI; David Brown, KC5ZTC; Laurel Clark, KC5ZSU, Michael Anderson, and Payload Specialist Ilan Ramon, the first Israeli astronaut.
A special, private memorial service will be held Tuesday at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston. President and Mrs George W. Bush will attend the mid-day ceremony. "This is a private ceremony for family members, friends, and invited guests, along with NASA employees and contractors," NASA said. The service will be carried live on NASA Television and available via the Internet at http://www.nasa.gov/.
John Chamberlain, AC5CV, of Waco, Texas, found himself the focus of media
attention after he took photos of the shuttle passing overhead. Chamberlain had
been keeping close tabs on the shuttle's passage over Texas. He told the
Waco Tribune-Herald
that as the shuttle sped by above Interstate 35
north of Waco, he spotted a "very bright object" several thousand
feet behind the shuttle moving at the same speed.
SAREX pioneer Owen Garriott, W5LFL, aboard the shuttle Columbia, as he appeared on the cover of QST, February 1984. Garriott was the first amateur to operate ham radio from a crew-tended spacecraft. |
Built in 1981, Columbia was the oldest shuttle in NASA's shuttle fleet and the first to carry Amateur Radio as an official NASA payload. Retired astronaut Owen Garriott, W5LFL, became the first amateur to operate from space in November 1983. Thousands heard W5LFL, and hundreds had direct QSOs with him. Refurbished in 1999, Columbia was on its 28th space mission.
As the investigation continues, messages of condolence have begun to arrive at ARRL Headquarters from International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) member societies around the world. "On behalf of HARTS executive committee and the members of the Hong Kong Amateur Transmitting Society I would like to send our heartfelt condolences to all in the USA after the tragic loss of Columbia," said HARTS President Paul Anderson, VR2BBC.
Max Raicha, 5Z4MR, spoke for the Amateur Radio Society of Kenya. "The Chairman and the members of the Amateur Radio Society of Kenya join me in sending our heartfelt condolences to all in the USA after the tragic loss," he said.
NASA's O'Keefe today announced the members of the Space Shuttle Mishap Interagency Investigation Board. That panel, NASA says, will provide an independent review of the events and activities that led up to the shuttle tragedy. The board will meet for the first time at Barksdale AFB. Retired US Navy Adm Harold W. Gehman Jr will chair the panel, which will be comprised of other members of the military and NASA leaders.
"We need to be responsible, accountable, and extremely thorough in this investigation," O'Keefe said, adding that he was confident in the panel's ability, integrity and dedication to do what's right. "Their findings will help push America's space program successfully into the future," O'Keefe added.
Shuttle Program Manager Ron Dittemore told a news conference today that NASA has "begun the painful process" of trying to piece together what happened. Dittemore cited technical data from received from the Columbia prior to the catastrophic loss that suggested significant overheating related to the left side of the craft that began as Columbia was still over California or Arizona. He emphasized, however, that the investigation was in its early stages, and that the agency has not drawn any conclusions.
NASA officials say they have been keeping the Expedition 6 crew aboard the International Space Station informed. NASA has grounded its entire shuttle fleet, and a space shuttle launch set for March to retrieve and replace the crew and resupply the outpost has been postponed. Commander Ken Bowersox, KD5JBP; Flight Engineer Nikolai Budarin, RV3FB, and NASA ISS Science Officer Don Pettit, KD5MDT, began their four-month scientific mission November 23.
NASA Director of Flight Operations Bob Cabana told a news conference today that Bowersox, Pettit and Budarin were grieving the loss of their colleagues but were "proud to be where they are" and contributing to the human spaceflight program.
NASA has said the Expedition 6 crew could return to Earth aboard the Soyuz escape vehicle. The crew also has sufficient supplies on board to remain on the ISS at least until June and already is routinely resupplied via Russian Progress rockets, another of which will arrive this week. NASA officials reiterated today that it sees no compelling reasons to leave the ISS without a crew aboard.
More information may be available via the NASA Human Spaceflight Web page
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