Journal

The Dream is Still Alive

by Mike Ciannilli
January 28, 2001

In some ways it is quite difficult to believe 15 years have elapsed. Only a glance at today's newspaper headline or a spin across the radio dial confirms that indeed a decade and a half has passed. That cold Tuesday morning in January, however, remains frozen in our memory. It seems like only yesterday that President Ronald Reagan had proposed an ambitious new space station program and America was getting ready to launch a teacher into the ultimate classroom in space. The scene here at the Cape also has a similar appearance to itself 15 years ago. Once again in January a Space Shuttle sits poised for launch atop Launch Pad 39A.

This time it is different. The shuttle is a much safer and more scrutinized vehicle than it was back then. Also, today we work with the deliberate goal of actually constructing that space station President Reagan boldly challenged the nation to build. However, I believe we should always remember what, why and how the events of January 28, 1986 occurred. In 1986 I was a freshman at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida. I will always remember the sight I saw that day. Over the next several years in college I created and wrote a weekly column called the "Cape Report" in the school newspaper, the Crimson. On a weekly basis I would discuss both the current events at the Cape, along with an historical discussion of our space program's amazing history.

Early 1991, on the 5th Anniversary of that fateful day, I was asked by the editor to write a special story to commemorate the event. Today on the 15th Anniversary I would like to share with you what I wrote back then, for I believe the perspective I was attempting to illustrate back then is just as relevant today. The following text appeared on the Front Page of the CRIMSON in February 1991. It is dedicated to the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger.

CRIMSON

The Dream is Alive
By Michael A. Ciannilli
February 4, 1991

For most Americans, the memories of the events on January 28, 1986 are as clear and crisp today, as the weather was on that fateful day. Five years has elapsed since that day, although at times it seems like only a couple of days have gone by. For many of us those visions of terrible tragedy will remain etched in our minds forever.

Over the past five years, hundreds of books, reports and articles have retold the story of the Space Shuttle Challenger and her crew of seven. They document the many engineering and management mistakes which led up to the disaster. This is an important part of the story. However, it is only one chapter in a very long book. The errors made and the consequences of those errors should never be forgotten. I am writing this article to remind you of the complete story of the Space Shuttle Challenger. A story filled with tremendous success, remarkable achievements, important lessons, and well-deserved pride.

If a popularity poll was ever taken of NASA's four orbiters, Challenger would have boasted a landslide victory. She logged an incredible list of accomplishments to her credit. Challenger flew flawlessly into space nine times. She was the most reliable of the four, and boasted the quickest turnaround times between flights. Challenger launched a total of 51 astronauts into space with eight returning for a second flight aboard Challenger. Astronaut Robert Crippen holds the honor of riding a total of 3 times aboard her.

These astronauts logged a total of over 62 days in space while Challenger orbited the earth 990 times. Mission planners also picked Challenger as their first choice to carry their payload. This was due to the fact that she had the largest payload capacity of any orbiter. Challenger, without a doubt, was an incredible vehicle. To this day its contributions remain an integral element in America's Space Shuttle Program.

The beginning of the story for the Space Shuttle Challenger starts over 16 years ago on January 6, 1975. On this day the construction of Structural Test Article - 099 (STA-099) began. Completed in February 1978, it was only meant to be a test article for a series of important structural tests.It was never meant to fly in space.

However, it was during these tests that NASA began to look for an orbiter to follow Columbia which was undergoing construction. The first choice, the Space Shuttle Enterprise, was found to be too expensive to convert to spaceflight configuration. Engineers then turned their attention to STA-099. It was decided that STA-099 would become Orbital Vehicle - 099 (OV-099) and be modified for spaceflight after all.

On January 25, 1979, she was given the name Challenger. She was named for two previous exploring ships. One was the famous U.S. Naval vessel, which explored the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans between 1872 and 1876. The other was the Lunar Module for the Apollo 17 moon landing in 1972. Both were big shoes to fill.

In April 1982, Challenger was cleared for operational flight. This culminated over seven years of construction, testing and redesign. She was then moved from Palmdale, California to Edwards Air Force Base and loaded atop NASA's 747 aircraft.

On July 4, 1982, the Space Shuttle Columbia returned to Earth after its fourth test flight. Celebrating a phenomenal success, President Ronald Reagan walked out to Columbia and welcomed her crew home. He, however, had two important items of presidential business to carry out that day. Shortly after, the Space Shuttle Challenger climbed into the clear blue skies. As she passed by the presidential viewing stand, she received a salute from President Reagan and was officially commissioned as AmericaÕs newest space shuttle.

On April 6, 1983, at 1:30pm, Challenger rose from Launch Pad 39 A at the Kennedy Space Center in a clear blue Florida sky. It was the start of a short, but glorious career. Her astronauts conducted the first spacewalk from a shuttle and also successfully deployed NASA's first TDRS satellite. This was the sixth mission in the Space Shuttle Program to date.

Challenger again proved she had the right stuff when she returned to flight on STS-7 in June 1983. She not only launched two communication satellites for the first time, but also America's first woman in space, Sally Ride.

Challenger continued its string of " firsts " in August 1983. Her launch at 2:32am became the first night launch in the Shuttle Program. She also carried the first black astronaut into space. Six days later, Challenger conducted the first night landing of the program. STS-10 was Challenger's fourth flight into space in February 1984. Two satellites were released and the first flight of the Manned Maneuvering Unit occurred. Astronaut Bruce McCandless II maneuvered 300 feet away from the orbiter capturing the imagination of America.

Challenger's fifth flight occurred exactly one year after its maiden flight. This flight heralded the first capture, repair, and redeployment of a satellite in space by the shuttle. The Solar Max Satellite became a celebrity overnight. Challenger performed flawlessly during its extremely difficult and precise maneuvers.

In October 1984, Challenger returned to space for a sixth time. This time she carried a host of scientific instruments and recorded the most scientific data since Skylab 4 in 1974.

ChallengerÕs seventh mission (STS-17) began on April 29, 1985. She carried Spacelab 3 into orbit. During her seven days in orbit she traveled 2.5 million miles.

STS-19 marked Challenger's eighth flight into space. This occurred in July 1985, and involved the launch of Spacelab 2. The launch included the first premature shutdown of a main engine during ascent. However, the orbiter's " Abort to Orbit " option was available at that point and the shuttle limped into orbit. She subsequently performed so well that an extra day in orbit was granted.

Challenger's ninth flight was on October 30, 1985. I'll never forget this launch. It was the first " live " shuttle launch I had ever seen. She carried Spacelab 1 and performed flawlessly. Unfortunately, it was to be her last successful flight.

The brief history of Challenger's missions above was intended to show that indeed Challenger had a spectacular record and served as the backbone of America's space program. No one knows what the future would have held for Challenger and her future crews it her 10th mission had been successful. Based on her past, one could only guess that it would be nothing short of spectacular.

It must be remembered that Challenger was a mere victim of a damaged SRB aft field joint, and was in no way responsible for the accident. As a matter of fact, data shows that up to the last millisecond Challenger heroically tried to save her and her crew. Through several maneuvers, she attempted to keep on her flight path. Unfortunately the end had come.

When we remember Challenger and her crew on that fateful day, we must also remember the whole story. It is a story of courage, success, determination and accepted risk. The greatest tribute we could pay Challenger and her last crew, five years later is to remember their dream of launching America into the future and to say with total confidence, " The Dream is Alive!".