The author recalls their experience as a space correspondent for CNN, covering the launch of the space shuttle Columbia and reflecting on the security concerns and engineering challenges.
On January 16, 2003, I was in a place I loved doing a job I loved. I was the space correspondent for CNN and had been covering NASA and the shuttle program for the network for nearly 11 years. I was at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to cover the launch of the space shuttle , Columbia . My team and I were at “the press mound” three miles away from the launch pad, which is as close as they let anybody. As always, I was thinking about what I would say if things went really wrong.
A spacecraft re-entering the atmosphere at 17,500 miles an hour — much faster than a rifle bullet — is enveloped in a glowing inferno of plasma. It’s beautiful — the same phenomena that creates the northern lights — but obviously you want the crew to be protected from it. So, any time a shuttle was coming home, I was worried. But in this case, I was a little more anxious. I was doing double duty the morning of February 1, 2003.
Columbia Space Shuttle Launch NASA Correspondent Security Engineering Challenges
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