Next on NOVA: "Space Shuttle Disaster"

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/columbia/

Tuesday, October 14 at 8 p.m.

(Check your local listings as dates and times may vary.)

At the end of a nearly flawless 15-day mission in early 2003, the
space shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's
atmosphere, killing the crew of seven. In this documentary, NOVA
probes the accident and the decisions stretching back four decades
that made the tragedy almost inevitable.

"Space Shuttle Disaster" is a penetrating look at the history of the
shuttle program and the political pressures that made the shuttle a
highly complex engineering compromise, which fell short of its
ambitious goal to make space travel routine, cheap, and safe. The
film brings to the forefront the uncertain future of human
spaceflight after the 2010 scheduled shuttle retirement. Many
questions remain, including what are the consequences if the U.S. is
out of orbit for five years?

Here's what you'll find on the companion website:

Rescue Scenarios
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/columbia/rescue.html
Follow, day by day, how a high-risk effort to save Columbia's crew
in space might have unfolded.

The Investigator
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/columbia/investigator.html
Scott Hubbard, a veteran leader of space missions, fought denial
with hard evidence to convince NASA of the accident's cause.

The Case to Save the Shuttle Program
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/columbia/richardson.html
Allen Richardson, 30 years in Boeing's space operations, offers
arguments for continuing shuttle missions beyond 2010.

Force of Impact
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/columbia/impact.html
How could a lightweight piece of debris cause catastrophic damage?
Find out in this simulation of the shuttle's launch.

The Insider Who Knew
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/columbia/insi-flash.html
NASA engineer Rodney Rocha, whose warnings and calls for action went
unheeded, speaks out about the disaster.

Also, Links & Books, the Teacher's Guide, the program transcript,
and more:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/columbia/