Space shuttle columbia failure Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Space shuttle columbia failure - Essay Example The velocity of the shuttle was 17,321 mph, while its actual weight depended on the payload and the other consumables on board. The thermo protection system of the space shuttle comprised of service coverage with high and low temperature reusable surface insulation tiles (Perkins, 86). The other areas such as the bay doors, fuselage and wings were covered with white silicone-rubber painted Nomex, which served as the insulation system (Christensen, 377). However, during the subsequent upgrade of the orbiter, the initial insulation tile and the silicone-rubber were replaced with Fibrous Insulation Blankets, which were found to be more flexible and appropriate for the orbiter surface insulation (Christensen, 377). The space shuttle was the first of its kind in many aspects. The space shuttle Columbia was the first spacecraft that was a reusable spacecraft and it was the first spacecraft that could carry large satellites both to and from the orbit (NASA, n.p.). The space shuttle Columbia comprised of three major components; the orbiter where the crew on board were housed, two solid rocket boosters which provided the shuttle with lift during the first two minutes, and a large external tank that fueled the main engines (NASA, n.p.). The Shuttle was 184 feet long, while its orbiter was 122 feet long, with a wing span of 78 feet and a height of the 57 feet, measured while standing on the runway (NASA, n.p.). On the day of the actual landing of the space shuttle Columbia, within the last few minutes of its landing, the shuttle entered the Earth’s atmosphere from the orbit. The incidence occurred when the spacecraft was approaching its Kennedy Space Center which was its targeted landing destination (Howell, n.p.). However, at 9.00 a.m. EST, an abnormal reading showed up on the NASA mission control center, starting with the loss of the