Author
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Topic: Displaying Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia
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Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 01-27-2007 08:20 AM
From MSNBC's James Oberg: NASA has to fight the forgetting Space workers need to touch the wreckage of Apollo-204 and the lost shuttles, not have the fragments stashed away underground, out of sight and mind. They need pieces on display -- and more, open to physical contact -- where they do their death-defying work. They need images, not of the astronauts, but of their parents, spouses and children left behind. They need high-fidelity replays of the horrifying deaths of their friends and colleagues, and no-holds-barred confrontations with the decisions made by individuals that paved the path to ultimate catastrophe.They need the consequent inescapable ache of fear and the gnawing of doubt that keeps asking, over and over, if they've covered all angles and done all they can. And if their stomachs do not knot up, and mouths go dry, as they confront such decisions -- perhaps they need new jobs. They do not need comforting myths about "valuable sacrifices" and "space-is-very-very-hard" rationalizations for the failures of individuals and teams. And most of all, they do not need more human sacrifices to remind them of things they knew, but somehow allowed themselves to forget. And from our interview with Stephen Clemmons: I feel that [Apollo 1] should be displayed at Kennedy Space Center in a special section apart from the astronaut memorial and not on Pad 34 as a reminder to America that it must never happen again.The story of Apollo 1 should be told over and over again because its not just about three men who were killed, but it is more about the conditions that created the fire. We must always be reminded that it can happen again. Men and women who go to space deserve the best and nothing must be left to chance. This display would tell the world that there is danger in all aspects of rocketry. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 01-29-2007 08:53 AM
From The Space Review by Dwayne Day: Remembering and learning The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC has always had a dual mission of both memorializing and educating. There is a natural tension between these two missions -- should the museum simply put an aircraft up on a pedestal and praise it, or should the aircraft be placed in a larger exhibit that explains the context that it was used in?The museum is filled with the icons of American spaceflight: Friendship 7, the Apollo 11 capsule, the X-15, SpaceShipOne. Perhaps it is time that it include examples of the failures of American spaceflight too -- wreckage from the Apollo 1, Challenger, and yes, even Columbia. After the Challenger accident, NASA buried the wreckage in a missile silo, as if it was hiding its mistake. The agency took a different approach with Columbia, using the debris in a forensics training program to teach others how to perform accident analysis. The agency has changed its approach to how it responds to these accidents, and maybe it is time for American society to change its approach as well. Context for such an exhibit would be important -- what is needed is not a memorial, but a tutorial. Rather than simply displaying the wreckage, the museum could display the wreckage in the context of the investigations themselves. Show the tagged and numbered portions of the Apollo 1 capsule. Show the enhanced launch photos of Columbia with the telltale smoke emerging from the side of the solid rocket booster. And show the sensor data recorder from Columbia that was recovered from the Texas mud and proved so important in reconstructing the final moments of Columbia's reentry. |
Danno Member Posts: 572 From: Ridgecrest, CA - USA Registered: Jun 2000
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posted 01-29-2007 10:30 AM
I would agree that these need to be displayed. Maybe not as a whole, but partially, like the Apollo 1 blackened hatch.If no one else the workers need to see those and be reminded what is at stake. It is too easy to become complacent after a string of successes. A blackened door on display would be very humbling. It would be nice if they would also add a plaque with the Gene Krantz "tough and competent" speech nearby. |
John K. Rochester Member Posts: 1292 From: Rochester, NY, USA Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 02-17-2007 09:57 PM
Of course Dwayne meant "the enhanced launch photos of Challenger with the telltale smoke emerging from the side of the side of the solid rocket booster" |
stsmithva Member Posts: 1933 From: Fairfax, VA, USA Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 02-18-2007 07:06 AM
After reading those excerpts I agree that for both educational and sentimental reasons there should be exhibits (at NASM and/or KSC) about Apollo 1, Challenger, and Columbia. People would be taught technical details of how those disasters occurred and what steps were taken to prevent similar ones, and also get a sense of the sacrifices that have taken place and the challenges that still lie ahead. |
cspg Member Posts: 6210 From: Geneva, Switzerland Registered: May 2006
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posted 02-18-2007 09:30 AM
I agree 100%. When I've heard that the Challenger debris would be dumped into a silo, I felt personally insulted. Sure, society prefers to hail its successes in museums but you can also learn/teach from tragedies. |
poofacio Member Posts: 268 From: United Kingdom Registered: Oct 2006
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posted 02-18-2007 06:14 PM
How refreshing! I have always thought it ridiculous to try and pretend bad things never happen. I am sure all the unfortunate but great folk who lost their lives in these tragedies would want people to remember and learn from them. History is full of bad things that happened. It can't and doesn't stop them from being part of history
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Dave Clow Member Posts: 236 From: South Pasadena, CA 91030 Registered: Nov 2003
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posted 02-20-2007 04:01 PM
Perhaps I have a different point of view on this because I grew up in the funeral business, in which both my parents were professionals. I don't think that displaying the wreckage of a fatal vehicle accident has ever kept another one from happening, and the lessons of such accidents are painful enough without turning the artifacts into tourist attractions. Had this happened to a member of my family, I think I'd politely request that NASA treat the remnants with due respect as evidence and as learning opportunities, but not as mere monuments. |
GACspaceguy Member Posts: 2476 From: Guyton, GA Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 02-20-2007 07:47 PM
When I think about this discussion I can't help think about how I felt when I was standing at the Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. It's one thing to read about an event, it is another to see the real deal. Seeing the actual place and/or hardware makes the event real and reinforces the significance of the event. Apollo 1 became the turning point in the Apollo program and lead to improvements that produced a great vehicle. Challenger and Columbia both resulted in a very different Shuttle program. People need to see why we should never forget and learn from these tragic events |
KSCartist Member Posts: 2896 From: Titusville, FL USA Registered: Feb 2005
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posted 02-21-2007 07:24 AM
quote: Originally posted by Dave Clow: Had this happened to a member of my family, I think I'd politely request that NASA treat the remnants with due respect as evidence and as learning opportunities, but not as mere monuments.
While I certainly can appreciate your opinion, I believe that a public display can be created in a respectful way. I attended the walk through at the hangar at the KSC landing strip when the Columbia debris was laid out. There were hundreds of people there and it was very hushed tones and solemn like going to a viewing at a funeral home. At one point we passed by the cockpit window frames. Someone had laid a flower at the base of them. It was an incredibly moving experience. It gave the men and women who had prepared the vehicle a chance to say "goodbye." So I truly believe that a display explaining what happened and what was learned from it would be a good thing. To ensure that it remains respectful don't allow cameras - and don't sell replicas of the damaged vehicles at the gift shop. |
Peter S Member Posts: 101 From: Toronto, Ontario , Canada Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 02-22-2007 12:39 PM
Winston Churchill once said.." The further you look back, the farther forward you will see...."Without doubt, I think that some of the artifacts of all 3 tragedies should be on display, both at NASA for the employees, and somewhere else for the public. (Smithsonian?). One can easily come up with a dignified, respectful tribute, where people viewing it can come to understand what happened. After all, these were very public tragedies, especially the shuttle accidents that so many saw happen in person on and on television. You cannot forget what happpened, if you do then you are doomed to become complacent, and doomed to repeat it. Everyone who works at NASA, from the top down needs to, on a daily basis, be reminded that this is not an eleavator ride, that human space flight is a big deal, and that human lives are involved. For some reason , as I type this, 9/11 comes to mind. I don't know why, maybe thinking about tragedies brings this to mind. I know that one cannot compare NASA tragedies to the scope of what happend on 9/11, but I guarantee you that there will be a lasting, dignified tribute to all those lives lost on 9/11. NASA needs to do the same thing. Sweeping them under the rug, in an abandoned silo helps nobody. Where there is a loss, there is a lesson. Everyone who has even a casual interest in human space flight needs to also see what can happen when that "one small step" stumbles. Let each take away their own memories and impressions, but for the sake of those lost, let the stories be told both in print and visually. |
poofacio Member Posts: 268 From: United Kingdom Registered: Oct 2006
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posted 02-22-2007 07:04 PM
Beautifully put Peter.It is a modern P.C. trend to re-write, sanitise or forget history instead of learning from it. Here in the UK the P.C brigade (or Barmy Army as they are known) are busy pardoning first world war deserters and changing place names if they are connected to the slave trade. Hey Presto, no-one deserted and the slave trade never happened! |
dtemple Member Posts: 729 From: Longview, Texas, USA Registered: Apr 2000
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posted 02-22-2007 07:11 PM
With all due respect to those who object to displaying Apollo 1 (as well as pieces of the wreckage of Challenger and Columbia), I simply don't understand your reasoning. No insult intended or implied by that comment.The Arizona memorial is an excellent example of a display that involves a tragedy. If these spacecraft are displayed in a special viewing room, then everyone who did not want to see them could avoid doing so. Those who object to displaying Apollo 1, tell me what you think should be done with it. Does leaving the components in a locked room forever make sense? Perhaps dumping it into a landfill or missile silo makes sense to you. Not to me. Do those who object to displaying Apollo 1, also object to the USS Arizona display? Do you think the ship should be raised and scrapped? The limo in which JFK was killed is on display (though still with the modifications performed to it to protect future presidents). Do you think it should be hidden away? Apollo 1 is a historic artifact and I believe it should be fully reassembled and displayed. Of course that would be impractical with the destroyed space shuttle orbiters even if 100 percent of them had been recovered, but a section from each could be displayed. Perhaps a part with the flag or NASA logo would be appropriate. Also, this emphasis on "respectful display" logically implies someone would like to create a disrespectful display. I don't think anyone wants to do that, but then perhaps the concept of what is or is not respectful is a subjective matter. I don't think a silo or locked room at Langley is very respectful. Eventually, these artifacts will be forever and completely lost if they are not put on display. In a museum, they would be preserved. Is it right to let these artifacts of the space program be lost? Is that more respectful than displaying them? |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-22-2008 07:47 PM
cS: Columbia debris goes on display at NASA A new exhibit aimed at promoting the importance of safety to NASA employees is using debris recovered from the loss of space shuttle Columbia to underscore its message. Here is a list of the specific artifacts in the exhibit: - Flight Deck Port Aft Bulkhead Window
- Orbiter Lower Left Wing Thermal Protection System Tile
- Orbiter Translational Hand Controller
- Flight Deck Overhead Switch Panel O17
- Left Wing Reinforced Carbon Carbon Panel 8
- Crew Module Side Hatch Pyro Initiator T Handle
- Left Orbiter Maneuvering System Pod Fuel Drain Purge Panel
- Forward Reaction Control System Thruster
- Left Wing Tip Thermal Protection System Tile
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Mr Meek Member Posts: 353 From: Chattanooga, TN Registered: Dec 2007
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posted 02-25-2008 12:28 PM
I'm surprised this hasn't generated more discussion. All of the theorizing is out the window, and NASA has a (relatively) private traveling exhibit reminding the people that make the difference of the importance of safety.And yet it's much more than a "We've gone 1,851 days without a fatal accident!" sign. This doesn't allow the tragedy to be obfuscated by the mists of bureaucracy, nor does it sensationalize the events. To me, it simply says "This really happened." And really, looking at the window frames, RCC panel, and data recorder, that's all that needs to be said. Waxing poetic and building monuments serve our human need for ceremony, but reality demands changes in our actions. Well done, NASA. |
4allmankind Member Posts: 1043 From: Dallas Registered: Jan 2004
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posted 03-13-2008 09:58 PM
I spent a fantastic afternoon in the Cradle of Aviation Museum on Long Island last Sunday. I had the pleasure of speaking with some wonderful former Grumman employees about the LM. It was an absolute pleasure to meet those men, but even more importantly, on that day for just the second time in my life, I saw a flown flag and mission patch from Challenger's last flight. Actually, two separate flags on the same display (one USA and one NY), along with the mission patch.![](http://collectspace.com/review/4allmankind/cradle_challenger.jpg) The first time I saw anything flown from the Challenger accident was at the National Air and Space Museum with their beautiful flag/patch plaque. Robert's recent "world-wide" Explorer 1 gantry fragment story got my mind wondering about how many similar Challenger memorial presentations are out there in museums. It is safe to assume that no "official" public count of surviving flags and patches exist, so that is a moot point. But, how many flag and patch plaques are in museums for the public to see? As this post details above, nothing from Challenger herself is not currently on display anywhere, so these flags and patches are really the only artifacts that flew on that particular vehicle that we can see up-close and in-person. In fact, the mission patch itself at the C.O.A. museum is not under any protective glass so it can actually be touched. I took that moment to respectfully say a few words to the crew of both shuttle disasters. I believe, at least one other Challenger flag/patch plaque exists at the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas, but I have never seen a photo of it if anyone would like to share one. To those not in Dallas, Long Island, or Washington D.C., do other plaques exist in your neck of the woods? If so, post your photos here. It would be a nice tribute. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-13-2008 10:47 PM
quote: Originally posted by 4allmankind: I believe, at least one other Challenger flag/patch plaque exists at the Frontiers of Flight Museum in Dallas, but I have never seen a photo of it if anyone would like to share one.
Taken during my visit to the Frontiers of Flight Museum in 2007: ![](http://collectspace.com/review/frontiersofflight_challengerflag.jpg) And via the National Air and Space Museum, a photo of their Challenger plaque: ![](http://collectspace.com/review/nasm_challengerflag.jpg) |
4allmankind Member Posts: 1043 From: Dallas Registered: Jan 2004
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posted 03-14-2008 01:29 PM
Thanks very much for those photos Robert. That flag in Dallas appears to be a bit larger than the standard USA's typically flown on the shuttle, huh? Or is that just my eyes? |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-15-2008 12:03 PM
quote: Originally posted by 4allmankind: That flag in Dallas appears to be a bit larger than the standard USA's typically flown on the shuttle, huh?
With the exception of the U.S., international and NASA flags, those flown in the Official Flight Kit are provided by the organizations for which they are on-board. It is not uncommon therefore, for their sizes to vary. |
Tom Member Posts: 1597 From: New York Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 03-15-2008 12:13 PM
Here is a photo I took recently at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. of the flown STS-107 crew patch:![](http://collectspace.com/review/tom/nasm_columbiapatch.jpg) |
APG85 Member Posts: 306 From: Registered: Jan 2008
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posted 03-25-2008 06:26 PM
Interesting discussion on the WIX (Warbird Information Exchange) board about the Apollo 1 Command Module...
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mjanovec Member Posts: 3811 From: Midwest, USA Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 03-25-2008 06:27 PM
Good to see another WIXer here at cS! I haven't read much of WIX lately, so I missed out on that conversation until now. Thanks for the link. |
E2M Lem Man Member Posts: 846 From: Los Angeles CA. USA Registered: Jan 2005
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posted 03-26-2008 12:45 PM
There have been some comments that I would like some enlightenment from the readers. Would anyone refrain from visiting a space education center if artifacts from the accident(s) are on display? Would NASA support tasteful and respectful displays?What do the readers think about that? |
robsouth Member Posts: 769 From: West Midlands, UK Registered: Jun 2005
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posted 03-26-2008 01:13 PM
I think that whatever happens, command module 012 should be rebuilt as much as possible using original parts and preserved in a state that befits the sacrifice of the crew. I personally think it is ok to display it but maybe not at a NASA facility. |
E2M Lem Man Member Posts: 846 From: Los Angeles CA. USA Registered: Jan 2005
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posted 03-27-2008 03:35 PM
Very nice site, Rob. Many of us at Aerospace Legacy Foundation in Downey, CA where the Apollos were built feel as you do.When the Columbia Space Center opens, it will embrace the memories of ALL the spacecraft that were built here, and whose crews have lost their lives and it is our intent to honor their lives. |
328KF Member Posts: 1234 From: Registered: Apr 2008
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posted 04-29-2008 12:00 AM
As an example of a precedent for displaying these vehicles, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board currently maintains the reconstructed wreckage of TWA 800 in its' training center near Dulles, VA. I recently had the opportunity to see the 747's remains first hand.I must say that in this venue, the government agency certainly got it right. The wreckage is not there for sightseeing tourists, although anyone in the aviation field who attends a class at the academy has access to it. No photography is allowed, but no photo could capture the enormity of the destruction. Family members still visit it occasionally and have left flowers in the passenger cabin area. The aircraft serves the purpose of training aviation safety professionals the science of accident investigation, but also teaches them why they do what they do. Seeing this shattered widebody up close is an emotional experience for some, and humbling to all. It seems that NASA has done the same thing with Columbia...provided viewing access for those workers who they intend for it to influence. Having seen TWA, I am not sure how I would feel about it being on public display, say, in the Smithsonian. The general public would not see the structure the same way an engineer or pilot would, and much of its' significance would be lost. While I agree that a missile silo at the Cape is not the place for Challenger to be hidden away, I do not see benefit to the program or its' history in having it reassembled and placed on public display. There is, however, much to be learned from remains of the vehicle that could improve the safety of future space travellers, and it is a terrible waste to have it buried out of sight. |
lowspeed lowdrag New Member Posts: From: Registered:
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posted 05-13-2008 04:11 PM
I was surprised a few weeks ago at KSC that our tour guide pointed out LC 31 where Challenger is buried. As a part of the tour that wasn't advertised, just looking through the brush to get a glimpse of of the top of the silo brought a mood shift over the bus. I understand the displaying of a destroyed spacecraft is a sensitive issue, and I also understand NASA's unwillingness to spend hard-won money on memorials when the money could be spent on new and future projects, but leaving the Challenger in an unmarked grave also seems disrespectful to me. I'd be content to see a low key memorial with a "Here rests..." inscription.... |
paulus humungus Member Posts: 400 From: Burton, Derbyshire, England Registered: Oct 2005
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posted 10-01-2009 03:24 AM
Whilst watching the DVD of "The Wonder of it All" Gene Cernan commented that in his opinion the Apollo 1 crew have never received the tribute that they deserve. What do cS'ers think would be a suitable tribute fit for the crew of Apollo 1? Would it be appropriate for the remains of the command module to be taken out of storage and put on show to the public in its own dedicated building? Do you think that this should be located on the site of Pad 34? Editor's note: Threads merged. |
KSCartist Member Posts: 2896 From: Titusville, FL USA Registered: Feb 2005
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posted 10-01-2009 06:16 AM
As a member of the Board of Directors for the Apollo 1 Memorial Foundation I encourage all of you who are interested in remembering the crew to visit our website. |
SpaceKSC New Member Posts: 6 From: Merritt Island, FL Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 12-25-2010 08:54 AM
New to the site, so coming in late to this conversation.I've been told that after the Challenger debris was placed in the silo at LC-31, the silo was filled with concrete. If true, there's no way those remains will ever be uncovered. As for Columbia, I'm told the remains are stored in an upper level of the Vehicle Assembly Building at KSC. LC-34, where the Apollo 1 fire occurred, is a stop on the CCAFS monthly bus tour (not to be confused with the Delaware North daily tour out of KSC). Tourists may walk around the launch pedestal and view a kiosk that has biographies of the three lost astronauts. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 12-25-2010 09:05 AM
quote: Originally posted by SpaceKSC: I've been told that after the Challenger debris was placed in the silo at LC-31, the silo was filled with concrete.
According to former space shuttle program manager Wayne Hale, the silo door is a massive concrete block, which may be what is being confused here for being "filled with concrete." The silo was not filled, though there have been unconfirmed reports of water seepage and flooding. quote: As for Columbia, I'm told the remains are stored in an upper level of the Vehicle Assembly Building at KSC.
Floor 16 to be exact, in a library/archive designed to allow researchers access to the debris as deemed appropriate. |
SpaceKSC New Member Posts: 6 From: Merritt Island, FL Registered: Dec 2010
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posted 12-25-2010 03:21 PM
quote: Originally posted by Robert Pearlman: The silo was not filled, though there have been unconfirmed reports of water seepage and flooding.
Well, that's reassuring. I've found that several anecdotes I've been told by volunteers turn out to be untrue or urban legends. It's a subject I certainly intend to clarify. |
Jay Chladek Member Posts: 2272 From: Bellevue, NE, USA Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 01-09-2011 02:27 AM
A couple of items from Columbia can be found at JSC. Columbia's data recorder (fitted for flight testing and never removed, to be recovered pretty much intact after STS-107) sits in a case at NASA's Building 2 next to an STS-107 memorial mural. It is very surreal to look at the thing in person (which I have) and think about how it as a piece of equipment survived and looks practically undamaged while seven people onboard the same vehicle did not. It is a very sobering experience.I honestly don't know how I would react to seeing elements of Apollo 1, Columbia or Challenger from after the accidents put on public display. While I think a tasteful display could be done, I don't know how any museum could market it properly. You don't see Arlington Cemetary advertising how people should visit and see all the famous graves there. They don't have to though as people do visit Arlington quite a bit. I indeed believe that such displays should be left for the people that could benefit the most from them, such as engineering students and workers (and most importantly, managers). Some might say they don't need sobering reminders of how dangerous their job is, but using them as the impetus for learning rather than just remembering helps drive the point home better I would think. |
moorouge Member Posts: 2454 From: U.K. Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 01-09-2011 09:43 AM
Hasn't this been discussed on the Grissom Air Museum thread? |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 01-09-2011 09:46 AM
This start of this thread pre-dates (by several years) the discussion about the Grissom Air Museum's (now failed) bid for Apollo 1, and goes beyond any one specific institution. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 01-31-2011 06:15 AM
collectSPACE Smithsonian considering display of fallen shuttles Challenger and Columbia debrisThe National Air and Space Museum may incorporate debris from space shuttles Columbia and Challenger in its new gallery dedicated to the soon-ending shuttle program. The display will only go forward however, if the families of the shuttles' fallen astronauts and NASA officials agree with the museum's plans. The solemn artifacts, which were recovered in the wake of the loss of shuttle Challenger 25 years ago last Friday and the loss of Columbia eight years ago on Tuesday, would be used to teach the public about the conditions that led to the two tragedies, according to curator Valerie Neal who spoke exclusively with collectSPACE. |
MrSpace86 Member Posts: 1618 From: Gardner, KS, USA Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 01-31-2011 09:18 AM
I am really glad to see this. They do have a point regarding Challenger being somewhat more appropriate than Columbia at this time. The debris shown in the photo in the article being lowered into silo would be a nice piece to display. Hopefully none of the debris is corroded since they did retrieve them from the ocean and then stored. |
Rick Mulheirn Member Posts: 4167 From: England Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 01-31-2011 01:26 PM
I consider the move by the Smithsonian to display artifacts recovered from the Challenger and Columbia accidents to be a brave one; I trust they can gain the support of the families to go ahead with the project. I am sure any display would be discreet and repsectful in equal measure. |
moorouge Member Posts: 2454 From: U.K. Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 02-01-2011 09:24 AM
quote: Originally posted by Rick Mulheirn: I consider the move by the Smithsonian to display artifacts recovered from the Challenger and Columbia accidents to be a brave one.
Do you mean "brave" as defined by Sir Humphrey Appleby? |
mjanovec Member Posts: 3811 From: Midwest, USA Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 02-01-2011 03:58 PM
quote: Originally posted by MrSpace86: Hopefully none of the debris is corroded since they did retrieve them from the ocean and then stored.
The debris "stored" in the missile silo probably has significant corrosion. If nothing was done to preserve the materials after they were recovered from the ocean, the damage from the saltwater immersion (no matter how brief) can be significant. Still, there may be materials within the silo that could be salvaged for a display. Even if it's just a piece of corroded skin from the orbiter, displaying that may tell a story...both of the destruction and the follow-up effort to sweep the remains of Challenger (and the lessons learned) under the carpet. |