| NASA is ready to put fragments of Columbia on public display Following the publication at the end of August of the official findings of the commission investigating the circumstances of the Columbia shuttle disaster, the leadership of the US Aeronautics and Space Agency will need to solve a serious problem: how best to deal with the wreckage of the shuttle? After all, after the experts, who have been studying the wreckage for six months now, finish their work, 84 thousand large and small pieces of the exploded ship will need to be attached somewhere. To at least free up the huge hangar at the Kennedy Space Center where they are currently stored. Moreover, NASA leaders would like to do this beautifully and, if possible, pathetically. The agency's CEO, Sean O'Keefe, has already stated that he would not like the wreckage of Columbia to be disposed of in the same irrational manner as the fragments of the exploded Challenger collected in 1986. “We're definitely not going to burn them and pretend that nothing happened,” Mr. O'Keefe promised the Americans.
Let us recall that collecting the debris of the shuttle, which fell apart when entering the dense layers of the atmosphere on February 1, required considerable efforts from the American authorities: additional police units and the National Guard were mobilized to search for them and deliver them to the space center. Moreover, in order to discourage looters who wanted to make extra money on the subsequent resale of space relics, the authorities had to announce huge fines; all those detained with the debris faced immediate arrest. Now NASA needs to develop a plan for handling the large fragments and small fragments remaining from Columbia in order to prevent speculation and not insult the memory of the seven dead astronauts.
The solution to this problem overseas was approached in detail. It turns out that back in May, NASA asked scientists to send proposals on the possible use of the debris. But the agency's headquarters received only 20 requests from researchers who would like to obtain the preserved elements to study changes in the structures of metals at high temperatures, the effects of exposure to cosmic radiation on the body and other aspects of materials science. As a result, some of the debris will be sent to universities and research centers.
The rest will apparently be used to create a memorial in honor of the fallen Columbia astronauts and other space explorers. True, it was not previously customary for NASA to publicly display the consequences of tragic disasters, and therefore the agency’s leaders are so far only testing the waters, including studying the opinions of relatives of the Columbia crew members. As one might expect, there is no unity in the assessments. Some relatives, such as the husband of deceased astronaut Laurel Clark Jonathan, support the idea of a memorial because “it will affect everyone.” For others, such a reminder of the tragedy seems unnecessary. In an interview with the Associated Press, the sister of Columbia pilot Willie McCaul, Christie, said she did not understand “what the purpose of publicly displaying the wreckage could be.”
The fact that NASA leaders brought their problem to the court of public opinion is quite symptomatic. It is well known that it is not in the traditions of the United States to flaunt not only its own tragedies, but even minor troubles. However, the events of September 11 forced a resilient nation to look at this aspect with new eyes. The founders of memorials in honor of those killed during the terrorist attacks in the fall of 2001 in New York and Washington believe that the tragic events of recent times, which include the Columbia disaster, should be recognized as significant for the history of the country.
PHOTO: This fragment of the exploded shuttle could also become part of the memorial|
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