The videotape showing the astronauts' last moments was allowed to air; The 4 members of the team photographed in it are excited about entering the atmosphere; The head of NASA: "It's exciting, because you now know what happened and they don't"
Photo from the tape. "The bow becomes yellow-orange in color"
The American space agency, NASA, this evening (Friday, 28/2/2003) transferred to the media the video tape documenting the last moments of the crew members of the space shuttle "Columbia" before its crash. The 13-minute long film shows the astronauts dressed in pressure suits and excited by the step of entering the atmosphere.
One of the team members is heard saying on the tape: "It's really cool, the bow turns orange-yellow." Filming was stopped about 11 minutes before communication between the shuttle and the control center in Houston Texas was lost. Another member of the shuttle crew was heard saying: "I want to be able to put on my gloves before the G starts to increase." A third astronaut says: "We're starting to get gravity, if you let go of the ticket it will fall."
The head of NASA, Sean O'Keefe, explained that "it's just like the photos you usually see from other missions - and that's exactly what's exciting about it. There is no hint of concern, apprehension or anything like that. It's a very exciting recording because you already know, but they don't." The tape found in Palestine, Texas on February 6 was screened before being released to the families of the crash victims.
In the last photos, only four members of the crew are visible because it was taken on the upper deck of the shuttle. It is possible to recognize the flight commander, Rick Husband, Willie McCool, Laura Clark and Kalpana Chawla. The other three members of the crew, the Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon, Mike Anderson and Dave Brown, were sitting in another cabin on the shuttle during the filming and therefore do not appear on the tape.
The head of NASA rejected the claims that were made after the disaster as if NASA knew that the shuttle was going to crash and did not act. "I completely reject the suggestion that nothing could be done at this point. We would spare no effort to try to prevent the disaster."
A tape of Columbia's last moments was found
The tape shows some of the astronauts conversing and performing routine actions; Ilan Ramon is not seen in the film
26.2.2003
NASA found a video tape showing four of the astronauts of the space shuttle Columbia, just minutes before it disintegrated. The film, 14 minutes long, documents the ferry's flight over the Pacific Ocean, a short time
Before faults were discovered in it. The Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon was not seen on the tape because he was on the lower deck of the shuttle at the time.
In the film, which was partially scratched and burned, the four shuttle pilots are seen engaged in routine work and even talking to each other about trivial matters. The film ends with the shuttle entering the atmosphere due to the increasing heat in it.
The film will be released for viewing after it has been viewed by the astronauts' families, and according to NASA officials, it is of little value to the investigation of the shuttle breakup.
