Space Shuttle Research Paper

We as humans have been obliged to adapt to our surroundings. Throughout the course of history, any changes in the atmosphere or on Earth in general have forced us to adapt and transform to withstand certain conditions. Whether it is naturally within our bodies or by the harsh climate causing humans to adapt, survival is necessary in life as we know it. Starting in the 1950’s, scientists, astronauts and aerospace engineers now had to consider adapting to the conditions of space. From a great decrease in gravity, to almost no air in the atmosphere, to even the near absolute zero temperatures, space requires great attention in understanding and adapting. Unfortunately, there have been many accidents pertaining to space shuttles throughout NASA’s …show more content…
Not too long into the initial launch, a piece of foam insulation from the shuttle’s propellant tank broke off and managed to hit one of the shuttle’s wings. Engineers tried using cameras to identify if the shuttle was damaged in any way or in need of repair. They believed that the wing needed to be repaired and that if it was not repaired, there could be a substantial failure. NASA management believed otherwise, insisting that there was nothing that could be done as it was already in orbit. An attempt at a rescue mission or a quick fix from the help of an already planned launch of the shuttle Atlantis could have been completed but the decision was too risky and in too short of a time frame. Thus while entering the Earth’s atmosphere, the heat resistant tiles on the damaged wing were missing, allowing for wind and heat to enter the wing and ultimately cause it explode. Just a few short minutes later, the entire shuttle detonated and all seven astronauts on board were killed instantly. The debris from the explosion landed in three different states throughout the southern United States. The initial piece of foam that flew into the wing during the launch of Columbia could not have been avoided, or at least there was no known reason for how that could have happened. Yet when it came to putting an effort in rescuing or helping out the crew members of the space shuttle, NASA management deemed it unnecessary and not even worth considering. They knew something was going to go wrong but they instead chose to ignore all the signs by pushing the problem away and not investigating and communicating with other professionals. Therefore, due to lack of communication and avoiding potential problems, NASA caused yet another failure to occur as well as losing more lives with the explosion