CNN Investigates 'Space Shuttle Columbia: The Final Flight'

CNN revisits 2003's disastrous landing of the Space Shuttle Columbia tonight with two 'immersive' specials co-produced by BBC and Mindhouse Productions 'featuring exclusive interviews and revealing never-before-broadcast footage,' according to an announcement — with two more specials airing next week.

You can watch a trailer here.

Across four episodes, the story of the ticking-clock of Columbia's final mission is told in dramatic detail, beginning months before the troubled launch, unfolding across the sixteen days in orbit, and concluding with the investigation into the tragic loss of the seven astronauts' lives. Weaving together intimate footage shot by the astronauts themselves inside the orbiter, exclusive first-hand testimony from family members of the Shuttle's crew, key players at NASA — some of whom have never spoken before — and journalists who covered the story on the ground, the series paints an intimate portrait of the women and men onboard and uncovers in forensic detail the trail of events and missed opportunities that ultimately led to disaster.

CNN says the first two episodes will livestream tonight at 9 p.m. EST (time-delayed on the west coast until 9 p.m.PST) — and then be available on-demand starting Monday — 'for pay TV subscribers via CNN.com, CNN connected TV and mobile apps.' CNN's web site offers a 'preview' of its live TV offerings here.

They're promising 'the inside story of one America's most iconic institutions, uncovering how financial pressures and a culture of complacency may have contributed to the events of February 1, 2003. The series also reflects on the legacy of the Space Shuttle era, serving as a timely exploration of the challenges and inherent dangers that remain relevant to space travel today.'

On its web site CNN has also published two companion articles — one by Rice history professor Douglas Brinkley arguing that NASA 'was America's crown jewel. After the Columbia disaster it was never quite the same.'

Because other shuttle missions had returned safely with 'shredded' surface tiles — and because the stalwart Columbia had brought astronauts home from 27 previous flights — many NASA officials were lulled into complacency. They went so far as to assure the pilot and commander via email that 'there is no concern... We have seen the same phenomenon on several other flights and there is absolutely no concern for entry.'

NASA officials also decided against enlisting spy satellite photography to examine the shuttle damage more thoroughly. If they had, it's possible that the astronauts could have repaired the spaceplane or at least abandoned it for refuge on the International Space Station...

As the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) noted in its final report, 'the NASA organizational culture had as much to do with this accident as the foam.' All of NASA's launches were suspended for two years. While the shuttles eventually flew again, post-Columbia, the program was stunted and curtailed.
The article notes that since then SpaceX, Blue Origin, and the United Launch Alliance (Lockheed Martin and Boeing) 'are thriving today in the space industry,' along with Virgin Galactic and Axiom Space. 'NASA, far from feeling threatened, has encouraged many of the private companies with massive contracts. The agency already had a long history of dealing with sub-contractors, using its pocketbook to steer aerospace development; that tradition has adjusted seamlessly to the current space economy.'

In the other article CNN Space & Science writer Jackie Wattles notes that when America later retired its Space Shuttle program in 2011, 'no U.S. astronaut would travel to space on an American-made rocket for nearly a decade.'

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