Shuttle Explodes - Milton Group Shares Loss - Volume 20, Number 19
By Henry Shepherd
The nation mourned this week as government officials pored over information and debris gathered in the days after the loss of NASA’s space shuttle Columbia last Saturday. The exact cause or causes of the problems that led to the disintegration of the craft and the death of its seven crew members are still unclear.
While the televised images of the ship breaking up upon re-entry into the earth’s atmosphere were abstract, the disaster was all too real for a group of Milton students.
Five juniors involved in the “Space Science” activity traveled with faculty advisors to view the shuttle’s launch on January 16th. After a few years of work, the group’s work culminated in sending off their experiment, which was aboard the shuttle.
The experiment was designed to test the effect of microgravity on the way that bacteria cells resist antibiotics,” according to Alyssa King’s January 21st update to the school’s website. Sources at the company that encased and installed the experiments for the group said the box had been spotted on national television earlier this week. “According to ITA, the company through which we leased the experiment area, the student experiment unit has survived, and it appears that [it] may be able to be returned to us, depending on NASA’s discretion regarding the investigation and possible contamination of anything onboard,” group member Andrew Mittelman commented.
While they hope to bring closure to the experiment, the students’ thoughts over the past week have been of grief for those most harshly affected.
“Even though we didn’t meet any of the astronauts, we saw footage of them getting ready for the launch and they all looked really excited and happy to go on the shuttle,” Dina Guzovsky said. “The first thing I thought of when I found out was the aunt of an astronaut we had met who had been telling us about her nephew and how proud she was of him. Although we didn’t have much to do with the shuttle, having even a small personal connection makes you feel differently about something.”
The loss of the Columbia during its 28th flight marked the first time since the Challenger explosion in 1986 and the third time ever that NASA has lost astronauts during a mission or training. While the national media is carrying related stories daily, the scale of the response is markedly smaller than that in the wake of the Challenger disaster. Many writers and historians have suggested that the events of September 11th have caused this change. In contrast to the USA’s response, Israel is in a deeper state of mourning; their first astronaut, Ilan Ramon, was one of the crew members.
“We find the best among us, send them forth into unmapped darkness and pray they will return,” President Bush said at the memorial service held on Tuesday in Houston. “They go in peace for all mankind, and all mankind is in their debt. Yet, some explorers do not return, and the law settles unfairly on a few. The families here today shared in the courage of those they loved, but now they must face life and grief without them. The sorrow is lonely, but you are not alone.”
Government comments and eulogies have emphasized the value and meaning of the research the astronauts were pursuing.
“They will always have an honored place in the memory of this country, and today, I offer the respect and gratitude of the people of the United States,” the President continued.
Information about the causes of the shuttle’s disintegration will continue to be collected and analyzed over the next few weeks. While early observations point to damage on or near the left wing of the craft, officials maintain that it is probably not the main cause of such a catastrophic set of failures.