Hello all, the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia incident is rightfully one of the most mythologized events of the 21st century thus far, the tale of two shuttles and two space programs putting the Cold War aside to save seven astronauts. Anyway, on the 16th of January 2003 the space shuttle Columbia lifted off from the Kennedy Space Centre, as we know during the assent a breakaway piece of foam from the leading bipod of the fuel tank struck the shuttle breaking one of the leading edge thermal protection tiles. This damage would be confirmed a day latter, a roughly briefcase sized hold had been punched in the wing, rendering it impossible for the shuttle to reenter.
While NASA scrubbed the mission and began working on a rescue attempt, watching on was the USSR and the Soviet federal space program, which at the time was preparing one of its 'Buran' shuttles, 3k3 'Uragan' for a February 4th supply run to the ISS. Ever since the Khushchev reforms of the 60s and 70s and the transition to democratic socialism under Gorbachev, there had been closer cooperation between Soycosmos and NASA, with both agencies developing reusable space planes and cooperating in the construction of the international space station, indeed it has been very useful to have two heavy lift systems servicing the station.
The Soviets, concerned with the sudden crisis, would offer a bold scheme to NASA. The Uragan would be flown up to the same orbital inclination as Columbia, dock with the stricken shuttle, were upon a crew of crack cosmonauts would transfer the Columbia's crew to the Uragan and then, in a groundbreaking move land the Soviet space plane at the KSC. This last would effectively mean placing a large piece of Soviet hardware in American hands, an extraordinary gesture.
Regardless the plan was given the go ahead by both governments, the only alternative was the Atlantis nowhere as near to lanch as the Uragan. On the 27th of January, watched by millions, the Uragan lifted off from Baikonur, her crew of three represented the broad swath of soviet society; Vladimir Rostov, the flight commander, a Russian from Volograd, Tomas Litvig, the pilot, Lithuanian (and the man who would hold Uragan steady for nearly 24hrs) and Hassan Alhad, the co-pilot from Tajikistan, one of the first Central Asian cosmonauts. 48hrs later on the 29th it was all over and the world was treated to the bizarre sight of a Soviet shuttle landing in Florida with a now 10 strong crew squeezed inside.
The mission captured the imagination of millions and certainly had a dramatic impact upon US-USSR relations, all the problems of the world; the Somali invasion, the dot.com bubble, the failed Dublin talks and so forth, just seemed to melt away for the moment, we had 10 actual heroes to celebrate. That what keeps bringing people back to this event, it wasn't a war story, nor did it involve current political difficulties. It was a unique one off international effort to do some genuine good.
So what if it hadn't happened?
That is all
Luath
While NASA scrubbed the mission and began working on a rescue attempt, watching on was the USSR and the Soviet federal space program, which at the time was preparing one of its 'Buran' shuttles, 3k3 'Uragan' for a February 4th supply run to the ISS. Ever since the Khushchev reforms of the 60s and 70s and the transition to democratic socialism under Gorbachev, there had been closer cooperation between Soycosmos and NASA, with both agencies developing reusable space planes and cooperating in the construction of the international space station, indeed it has been very useful to have two heavy lift systems servicing the station.
The Soviets, concerned with the sudden crisis, would offer a bold scheme to NASA. The Uragan would be flown up to the same orbital inclination as Columbia, dock with the stricken shuttle, were upon a crew of crack cosmonauts would transfer the Columbia's crew to the Uragan and then, in a groundbreaking move land the Soviet space plane at the KSC. This last would effectively mean placing a large piece of Soviet hardware in American hands, an extraordinary gesture.
Regardless the plan was given the go ahead by both governments, the only alternative was the Atlantis nowhere as near to lanch as the Uragan. On the 27th of January, watched by millions, the Uragan lifted off from Baikonur, her crew of three represented the broad swath of soviet society; Vladimir Rostov, the flight commander, a Russian from Volograd, Tomas Litvig, the pilot, Lithuanian (and the man who would hold Uragan steady for nearly 24hrs) and Hassan Alhad, the co-pilot from Tajikistan, one of the first Central Asian cosmonauts. 48hrs later on the 29th it was all over and the world was treated to the bizarre sight of a Soviet shuttle landing in Florida with a now 10 strong crew squeezed inside.
The mission captured the imagination of millions and certainly had a dramatic impact upon US-USSR relations, all the problems of the world; the Somali invasion, the dot.com bubble, the failed Dublin talks and so forth, just seemed to melt away for the moment, we had 10 actual heroes to celebrate. That what keeps bringing people back to this event, it wasn't a war story, nor did it involve current political difficulties. It was a unique one off international effort to do some genuine good.
So what if it hadn't happened?
That is all
Luath