Sci.Space Members Affecting STS-107 Mission

OK, I'll start...

- actions that *were* taken by members of this forum,

I learned of the STS-107 foam impact halfway into the mission. I
contacted specialists within USA, Boeing and Lockheed Martin. I was
shocked to learn that JSC was not proactively working to deal with the
worst case scenario of critical thermal protection damage.

- actions that *could have been* done.

Prior to -107s entry, there are many others I could have contacted,
both inside and outside of the program. My gut feel was that the foam
impact analysis was insufficient. I chose not to press the issue
further. Part of my reason was out of trust for those who made such
decisions (I understand Leroy Cain to be an exceptionally wise
leader). Another part was out of my feeling that I was lacking in any
obligation to interfere with those decisions (this is the part that
troubles me most).


In the aftermath of the destruction, we've all seen how sci.space has
served as an excellent brainstorming forum on what could have been
done. Had there been an open discussion of the problem while Columbia
was still on orbit, solutions generated within this forum could
possibly have had a significant affect in helping -107. I had
attained the ascent video of the foam strike through a private
channel. I chose to constrain my response to private interactions
(mentioned above). I'm sure that there are others here who have been
wrestling with their own personal accountability regarding this
tragedy. However peripheral our role may have been, there are always
options of contacting NASA, Congress, the press and others.

There were a multitude of failures that formed links in the causal
chain leading to this horrific loss of orbiter and crew. I count my
decision to not do more as an opportunity lost. And I see the
composite decision of everyone who had knowledge of the critical
threats facing the vehicle and its crew members... the composite
decision of authorities within the program, as well as observers
outside of the program, to be responsible for the tragic outcome.

Surely there are few outside of the program who can be held
accountable, but we all had an ability-to-respond to the situation,
and this equates to our responsibility.

Our failure.


~ CT