Launch on Need by Daniel Guiteras (best ereader for manga .txt) 📕

already completed nearly 45, 90-minute orbits. Sixteen sunrises and sunsets every 24 hours. She was faster than a bullet train and smoother too, humming along at over 17,000 miles per hour.

Soon the main cabin lights of the mid-deck turned on. The wake-up call from Mission Control, music the Red Team had agreed on before launch, began playing. This morning it was Deep Purple’s “Space Truckin’.” It played for approximately 30 seconds, then the music volume was pulled down like a DJ about to address a crowd; the voice of Mission Control welcomed the Red Team to flight day four.

“Columbia, Houston. Good morning, Red Team. We hope you enjoyed your night aboard Columbia!”

“Houston, Columbia. Another wonderful night!”

The Red Team astronauts greeted each other as they floated free of their bunks. And soon the Blue Team joined them on the mid-deck.

“A note for the commander,” Mission Control came back, “before you get too far into your timeline for today, we need you to check your e-mail for an important update.”

“Roger that,” the commander replied, smiling as usual, always happy to be in space. He then grabbed various handholds, giving motion to his body, making his way forward in the spacecraft. He maneuvered over to the interdeck passageway, an opening measuring 26 by 28 inches that allowed astronauts to move between the mid-deck and the flight deck above. He slinked through the opening and was surprised, startled really, to see Columbia’s Blue Team pilot fastened into his seat, apparently waiting for his commander.

“I was told by Houston to wait for you here; it’s some e-mail they want us to read together.”

As the commander floated into position, he searched the pilot’s face for clues, but there were none—it was as vague as a seasoned poker player’s.

“What is it, did they say?” the commander asked.

“Didn’t say a thing, just that there was an e-mail for us.”

“Okay then, let’s see what it is,” the commander said sas he typed in his password on the laptop computer. He opened the email, and the two of them read silently.

Original MessageFrom:  Warner, A. (Allan)(JSC-DA8)(NASA)Sent:  Sunday, January 19, 2003 04:07 A.M.To:  CDR; PLTSubject:  Debris Strike during launchAttachment:  Video clip of debris strike

You guys have been doing a great job with this mission and it’s been great working with you. Except for a few minor hardware glitches, Columbia and the SpaceHab unit have proven to be a great environment for doing science. And that is one reason why I’m sorry to have to send you this e-mail.

I need to bring you up to speed on a problem with Columbia that we’ve been working here on the ground, one that unfortunately seems to be growing in scope by the hour.

During your ascent, at 81.9 seconds MET, ramp foam liberated from the ET bi-pod attachment point struck Columbia’s left-wing leading edge. High-resolution video analysis shows the foam striking the wing and breaking into smaller particles. However, the debris shower passes behind the underside of the wing and out of view from cameras. Therefore, it is unclear whether or not there is RCC panel or tile damage. We have been unable to quantify any potential damage from the ground.

The Mission Management Team, with the help of a Debris Assessment Tiger Team, concluded that we either need to obtain outside imaging (military ground or satellite-based imaging), or have the crew perform a wing-inspection EVA in order to assess the degree of wing damage. These two options were discussed at length during yesterday’s MMT meeting, and by the conclusion of the meeting we believed that imaging would be the best initial attempt at damage assessment, and would have the least impact on mission objectives if no damage were found.

Then, just as I prepared to contact SPACECOM to request imaging, they instead phoned me, with the following information: In processing FD3 Space Surveillance Network data, it was discovered that an object appeared at 3:57 P.M. adjacent to Columbia’s left wing. The object seems to have appeared following the two scheduled orbiter vector changes that were made on FD3.

Now, we don’t know positively what this object was, of course, and I say was because it has since reentered Earth’s atmosphere and burned up. But given the tedious close-out procedures for all items loaded into the orbiter’s payload bay prior to launch, and the fact that there have been no EVA’s this mission, the object is unlikely to have been something that came out of the payload bay.

Our foremost concern, actually, is that the object could be an RCC fragment from the leading edge of Columbia’s wing that had motion imparted to it during your orbiter positioning maneuvers.

With this latest development, we have therefore decided that a wing-inspection EVA will provide us with the most conclusive assessment of wing damage in the shortest amount of time. The wing-inspection EVA will be performed by two of your crew members tomorrow.

A Tiger Team headed by Joseph Senca is well under way developing procedures for the wing-inspection EVA. I assure you the brightest minds are working this problem.

When you’re ready, we want you to inform the rest of the crew of this problem. While the procedures for the wing-inspection EVA are being worked, we request that you remain on your scheduled timelines.

I have attached a video clip of the debris strike for your viewing.

Nothing else for now. I will communicate with you again as soon as updates become available.

P.S.

We believe the debris strike to be between RCC panels 6 through 9 of Columbia’s left wing. The view of the wing out Columbia’s aft flight deck windows, as you will recall, is blocked by the open payload bay doors. Your view of the wing begins with RCC panel 12.

Chapter 12

Johnson Space Center, Houston

Press Room

Sunday, Jan. 19, 2003

CONTINENTAL AIRLINES FLIGHT 1087, en route from Orlando, surged and dipped in the stone-washed January sky, preparing for its final approach to