7 myths about the Challenger shuttle disaster

7 myths about the Challenger shuttle disaster

It didn't explode, the crew didn't die instantly and it wasn't inevitable

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11031097/

By James Oberg, NBC News space analyst // Special to MSNBC

Updated: 11:39 p.m. ET Jan. 25, 2006

HOUSTON - Twenty years ago, millions of television viewers were horrified
to

witness the live broadcast of the space shuttle Challenger exploding 73
seconds

into flight, ending the lives of the seven astronauts on board. And they
were

equally horrified to learn in the aftermath of the disaster that the faulty

design had been chosen by NASA to satisfy powerful politicians who had
demanded

the mission be launched, even under unsafe conditions. Meanwhile, a major
factor

in the disaster was that NASA had been ordered to use a weaker sealant for

environmental reasons. Finally, NASA consoled itself and the nation with the

realization that all frontiers are dangerous and to a certain extent, such a

disaster should be accepted as inevitable.

At least, that seems to be how many people remember it, in whole or in
part.

That's how the story of the Challenger is often retold, in oral tradition
and

broadcast news, in public speeches and in private conversations and all
around

the Internet. But spaceflight historians believe that each element of the

opening paragraph is factually untrue or at best extremely dubious. They are

myths, undeserving of popular belief and unworthy of being repeated at every

anniversary of the disaster.

The flight, and the lost crewmembers, deserve proper recognition and
authentic

commemoration. Historians, reporters, and every citizen need to take the
time

this week to remember what really happened, and especially to make sure
their

memories are as close as humanly possible to what really did happen.

If that happens, here's the way the mission may be remembered:



Few people actually saw the Challenger tragedy unfold live on television.



The shuttle did not explode in the common definition of that word.



The flight, and the astronauts' lives, did not end at that point, 73
seconds

after launch.



The design of the booster, while possessing flaws subject to improvement,
was

neither especially dangerous if operated properly, nor the result of
political

interference.



Replacement of the original asbestos-bearing putty in the booster seals
was

unrelated to the failure.



There were pressures on the flight schedule, but none of any recognizable

political origin.



Rationalizations that the disaster was the unavoidable price to be paid
for

pioneering a new frontier were self-serving cover-ups of those responsible
for

incompetent engineering management - the disaster should have been
avoidable.





more

Now a retired TV news broadcast guy is telling me that NO broadcast
news team -- ABC, CBS, or NBC -- had covered the launch live, they
only came on air after the disaster. I had checked with NASA PAO and
they, like me, had recalled at least one network with live launch coverage
because of the teacher-in-space aboard.

What do you experts out there think? Do I need to revise the
myth of the myth groan ???



"Jim Oberg" wrote in...
7 myths about the Challenger shuttle disaster

Jim Oberg wrote:
Now a retired TV news broadcast guy is telling me that NO broadcast
news team -- ABC, CBS, or NBC -- had covered the launch live, they
only came on air after the disaster. I had checked with NASA PAO and
they, like me, had recalled at least one network with live launch coverage
because of the teacher-in-space aboard.

What do you experts out there think? Do I need to revise the
myth of the myth groan ???



"Jim Oberg" wrote in...
7 myths about the Challenger shuttle disaster

I was in KGO-TV studios in San Francisco when the Challenger was
launched. My wife and I had obtained studio audience tickets to watch
the local morning show live. Good Morinng San Francisco (with Fred
Lacoss and Terry Lowery) was to air right after Good Morning America.
We were in an audience waiting room with about 50 other people prior to
being taken into studio where the local morning show aired from. They
had televisions on for us to watch. They were showing Good Morning
America. Steve Bell of ABC announced the launch and we saw the breakup
of the shuttle on the TV screens. Right then they took us in to air the
morning show. It was taped instead of being shown live and didn't show
until a week or so later because of the Challenger. I don't remember,
however if we saw the launch live or a rerun of the launch within a few
minutes of the event.

Rusty

Jim Oberg wrote:
Now a retired TV news broadcast guy is telling me that NO broadcast
news team -- ABC, CBS, or NBC -- had covered the launch live, they
only came on air after the disaster. I had checked with NASA PAO and
they, like me, had recalled at least one network with live launch coverage
because of the teacher-in-space aboard.

What do you experts out there think? Do I need to revise the
myth of the myth groan ???



"Jim Oberg" wrote in...

7 myths about the Challenger shuttle disaster




I was on Okinawa when it happened, and I was watching live at about 0200L.

On Thu, 26 Jan 2006 21:44:32 GMT, "Jim Oberg"
wrote:

Now a retired TV news broadcast guy is telling me that NO broadcast
news team -- ABC, CBS, or NBC -- had covered the launch live, they
only came on air after the disaster. I had checked with NASA PAO and
they, like me, had recalled at least one network with live launch coverage
because of the teacher-in-space aboard.

What do you experts out there think? Do I need to revise the
myth of the myth groan ???

I don't think the Big 3 (ABC, NBC, CBS) were live nationally, although
local affiliates were in the Orlando (Cape Canaveral) market and
Concord, NH (McAulliffe's home) markets, as well as some others
(Houston?).

It was 8:37am on the West Coast, so I think it is very likely the ABC,
NBC and CBS morning news shows carried the launch live (and that feed
is what Houston and Concord were airing).

Hence, you'll get some people insisting they were watching it live
with Tom Brokaw or some such. They were probably in California at the
time.

CNN (cable, not broadcast) was, of course, live.

Brian

"Jim Oberg" ) writes:
Now a retired TV news broadcast guy is telling me that NO broadcast
news team -- ABC, CBS, or NBC -- had covered the launch live, they
only came on air after the disaster. I had checked with NASA PAO and
they, like me, had recalled at least one network with live launch coverage
because of the teacher-in-space aboard.

What do you experts out there think? Do I need to revise the
myth of the myth groan ???

g IIRC, and I think that I do, because that week was nutty for me,
as I moved within Ottawa under a week after the Challenger tragedy.

What I specifically recall is that only CNN was carrying the launch
live, and, at that time, and here, CNN was not on basic cable here,
so I know for sure that I did NOT see the event live, but that within
moments of it happening, the SF community here began working the
phones, and thats how I was swiftly made aware of the event.

By then, the networks, both US and Canadian, were on the story,
full time, and things went on from there.

"Jim Oberg" wrote in...
7 myths about the Challenger shuttle disaster

I'm relatively pleased in that I recalled the correct answers/
memories on all seven points... But, I have several of the
published works on the event. So, memory ought to serve...

Andre

Jim,

Regarding live TV coverage of STS 51-L:

1) The Big Three did not carry it live. And to debunk the myth that it
would have been on the morning programs here on the West Coast, all of
the network morning shows are tape delayed three hours here. Only
recently have some of them started to run a portion of their program
live when there is breaking news worth covering live. What I believe
most people remember are the live "Special Reports" that hit the
airwaves within minutes of the accident.

2) PBS carried the launch live in connection with the Teacher In Space
program. I very vividly recall that is what we were watching live in
my classroom that morning 20 years ago (in fact, it startles me how
vividly I remember the whole thing considering I was only 7 at the
time, but I remember it like it happened yesterday).

3) A few years ago, I recall reading an article online by KNBC-LA
reporter Kent Shocnik (sp?), in which he indicated that he covered the
launch live for KNBC here in LA, and was surprised at the time that no
one else was carrying it (and even more shocked when he found himself
covering the first American space accident on live television)

-Craig


Andre Lieven wrote:
"Jim Oberg" ) writes:
Now a retired TV news broadcast guy is telling me that NO broadcast
news team -- ABC, CBS, or NBC -- had covered the launch live, they
only came on air after the disaster. I had checked with NASA PAO and
they, like me, had recalled at least one network with live launch coverage
because of the teacher-in-space aboard.

What do you experts out there think? Do I need to revise the
myth of the myth groan ???

g IIRC, and I think that I do, because that week was nutty for me,
as I moved within Ottawa under a week after the Challenger tragedy.

What I specifically recall is that only CNN was carrying the launch
live, and, at that time, and here, CNN was not on basic cable here,
so I know for sure that I did NOT see the event live, but that within
moments of it happening, the SF community here began working the
phones, and thats how I was swiftly made aware of the event.

By then, the networks, both US and Canadian, were on the story,
full time, and things went on from there.

"Jim Oberg" wrote in...
7 myths about the Challenger shuttle disaster

I'm relatively pleased in that I recalled the correct answers/
memories on all seven points... But, I have several of the
published works on the event. So, memory ought to serve...

Andre

craigcocca wrote ..

2) PBS carried the launch live in connection with the Teacher In Space
program. I very vividly recall that is what we were watching live in
my classroom that morning 20 years ago (in fact, it startles me how
vividly I remember the whole thing considering I was only 7 at the
time, but I remember it like it happened yesterday).

Hi,

This topic has attracted my interest because my (sixth grade) recollection
of the Challenger incident is also of a live "as-it-happened" broadcast. I
wrote about it in a previously thread that I started. Basic summary:
Although I wasn't completetly attentative, I saw the broadcast in my middle
school library, which received some sort of "education feed". Satellite or
coax, I don't know. The broadcast I remember, however, was very raw with no
"media commentation".

Was the PBS broadcast of the Challenger launch, like it was being piped
directly from "NASA TV"? (Well, after Googling, found it would've been
"NASA Select" in those days?)

I'm mainly just curious as to what the source was in the library.

-Eric

I know KNBC carried the lift off live but, I don't know if they were
live for the breakup. Remember, CNN was ending their broadcast when the
breakup happened.

The UPI radio network was live with reporter Rob Navias (now a NASA
PAO).

-BoringGuy

"Eric" wrote in message ...
craigcocca wrote ..

2) PBS carried the launch live in connection with the Teacher In Space
program. I very vividly recall that is what we were watching live in
my classroom that morning 20 years ago (in fact, it startles me how
vividly I remember the whole thing considering I was only 7 at the
time, but I remember it like it happened yesterday).

Hi,

This topic has attracted my interest because my (sixth grade) recollection
of the Challenger incident is also of a live "as-it-happened" broadcast.
I
wrote about it in a previously thread that I started. Basic summary:
Although I wasn't completetly attentative, I saw the broadcast in my
middle
school library, which received some sort of "education feed". Satellite
or
coax, I don't know. The broadcast I remember, however, was very raw with
no
"media commentation".

Was the PBS broadcast of the Challenger launch, like it was being piped
directly from "NASA TV"? (Well, after Googling, found it would've been
"NASA Select" in those days?)

I'm mainly just curious as to what the source was in the library.

-Eric

Hmm,

Not a definitive answer, but the idea of just doing a deja (Google Groups)
search revealed one post written in 1995:

"I was watching the launch via a live feed from NASA to the downlink
facility for PBS, where I was working at the time."

Along, with several others that were similiar.

Deja can be a great tool, if not eerie, when doing date-based advanced
searches involving incidents (using related keywords) as or even BEFORE they
occur.

I.e., do some advanced searches on Columbia, involving the foam and debris
strike, with a timeline between the launch and right before the attempted
landing. Also, some 911-related keywords, searched BEFORE 911, bring up
all kinds of interesting stuff.

-Eric