No rain showing up the live super Doppler radar at this hour and things
looking pretty good around the Cape. In the meantime, temperatures ranging from
the 40 degrees 47 for example, up in Tallahassee 41 in Pensacola in 63
degrees down in the Conch Republic. For today. We'll see temperatures generally
right around that 70 degree mark, Daytona Beach at 69 71 degrees in
Melbourne. And as far as the shuttle is concerned, maybe *** few little clouds
over there, temperatures trying to squeeze up into the upper fifties winds
will be out of the northwest at about 10 MPH Raul. They're on their way back
and they'll be down any moment. They sure are marty. Thank you so much. And
we are breaking away from the today's show now for *** few minutes to show
you the landing of the space shuttle Columbia touchdown is just *** few
minutes away. News channel to space reporter Dan Billow is live at the
Kennedy space center now and joins us with the final moment of this historic
flight dan. Well, we're about seven minutes from touchdown here and we're
right at the Kennedy space center runway, folks in central florida will
be hearing sonic booms if they're not hearing them already very soon. Take
*** look behind me just very quickly. The low clouds marty was talking about
there right there to our north coming in, I think *** little faster. ***
little sooner than the spaceflight meteorology group expected. And ***
little sooner obviously than they would like the space shuttle however, will be
brought in from the opposite direction. You're seeing the runway right there,
be brought in from the opposite direction, landing south to north and
may squeak in From that south side of the runway. Before those clouds get
there, the commander of the space shuttle obviously wants to have ***
good view of the runway as he comes in about 220 mph. And of course we'll just
have the one pass to make the one chance to come in landing. The feeling
of gravity will be unfamiliar to commander Rick husband as he comes in.
Let's give you *** look at mission control
as they help bring the orbiter in
and we're going to be seeing I believe some shots from the commander's point
of view as if you were aboard the space shuttle, we'll be able to see that from
on board Columbia as they fly over the florida coast. Uh, we believe you can
never guarantee that. But those pictures from the space shuttle cockpit
are always compelling stuff to see. And we will hear
uh, the talk between mission control and the space shuttle will hear the
space shuttle commentator James Hartsfield will let you go ahead and
listen into quite *** bit of that this morning as we take you down here
through these last five minutes or so of Columbia's landing. This is the 28th
flight of the space shuttle Columbia, the 113th flight of the space shuttle
overall, since 1981. And in this case, there are about 70 international
scientists very interested in the cargo That Colombia is bringing home. They've
spent those 16 days in space doing nothing but science. This was not ***
space station flight, unusual in this day and age.
They have had dozens of science experiments research to do. Looking at
how spaceflight deflect affects people and looking how it affects materials
and some of the valuable cargo that they're bringing home of course is
valuable because the results can only be obtained in space.
There are all kinds of their bone experiments. There's bone culture that
has been growing in space. It grows differently in space than than in
gravity.
There are living creatures. There are fish, there are ants, there are spiders,
there are all kinds of things. And the Columbia orbiter will sit on the runway
for quite some period of time as they unload that valuable cargo. As you see
now, here's where they're coming in over the northern edge of central
florida, you might say before dipping down,
dipping down around Orlando Sanford Titusville. They should be here in
another about 3.5 minutes.
Quick question. Now, of course, we've heard *** lot about the security down
there for Ellen Ramon, the Israeli astronaut. Anything you can tell us on
that front.
The security is very much heightened today, but lower profile than on the
days leading up to the launch. There are fewer uh officers here enforcing
security. It is *** simpler task to secure *** landing shuttle than it is
*** launching space shuttle simply because the shuttle is not out there as
*** target on the launch pad for days and days before launch also have fewer
V. I. P. S here. But I'll tell you there is *** great number of Israeli
media here at the landing strip. The astronauts families are here as they
always are. Uh they all have *** personal escort of local and federal
law enforcement people following their every move and all around the runway
here. The area you can you can guarantee is is quite secure. Got the
clouds now having pretty much moved over as they move in rather quickly the
whole runway area.
And I'll be interested to see whether the commander of the space shuttle has
*** good view of the runway as he comes in. The space shuttle has very high
tech instruments as you can imagine. And uh the uh the guidance should be
fine. It should be no problem really. If he if they have to come in with with
poor visibility but they may not have quite got in the weather call right
here today. As you take *** look at some fairly low clouds with two minutes
to go, really not hearing much from mission control. I'm almost starting to
doubt whether the sound is, is working very well. You know, here we go to seek
tracking or communications with Columbia through Merritt Island
tracking station.
Well communications with Columbia was at eight a.m. Central time
approximately above texas is an approach to the Kennedy space center
for its landing. Flight. Director. Leroy cain is now instructing
controllers to uh
get out their contingency procedures and I begin to follow those. Oh my
goodness,
that's unprecedented.
That's not good flight. The next officer reports. No tracking data from
the C band radar at the Merritt Island tracking station has been reported of
any objects.
Well,
well you're hearing commentator James Hartsfield in mission control saying
that the tracking station here on Merritt Island here at the Kennedy
space center is not able to pick up anything not able to pick up anything
at all of the space shuttle. The space shuttle should be sending telemetry
actively. That is picked up by receivers on the ground. And
independent of that, receivers on the ground should be able just by radar to
go and to go ahead and pick up *** signal
of anything that is flying in the area. I mean that's that's that's simple.
That's routine. That's that's doable. Has nothing to do with the clouds that
you're looking at
the last communications as you heard
from the space shuttle. We were just after nine o'clock. He said eight
o'clock Central time. Just after nine o'clock our time. That's 15 minutes ago
right now. We're counting down to three seconds to landing. They're supposed to
be landing right now, they're not here. Where are they? They're lost. Um
I'm gonna stop short of saying this is *** disaster yet. But
yeah, you're hearing what I'm hearing from mission control. We hear nothing
at all. You heard Hartsfield, the commentators say the flight director
Leroy cain is telling people in mission control to
to start looking at their contingency procedures to start looking at what
they do to,
you know, is there *** backup plan to try to figure out what has happened to
the space shuttle
now, dan. Uh obviously communication has been lost here. Any chance that
maybe there's *** problem with the radios on board as far as that's
concerned. No word yet that you're hearing on your end.
No I no communication from the space shuttle. No one on the space shuttle
has said anything to mission control. They have not heard any voice contact.
They have apparently no telemetry. It is all dropped out. Can you hear any
concern as far as mission control? As far as Houston, Cape Canaveral,
anything now that we're past the scheduled time of landing for the
shuttle. I mean
yeah, this this is uh
yeah,
this is *** bad thing.
There's not much you can say about it, we are *** minute and *** half past the
scheduled landing time. The space shuttle is not here. This has never
happened before. They are gone. I don't mean gone forever. I mean they are gone
as far as we know and you know, there's there's there's you can't stop on the
way and and take *** break here. You you don't stop and you don't really
land, you know, and they go on *** highway somewhere because you're you're
having trouble you know, between between texas and here. Um you know,
it's about the last that was seen or heard from the space shuttle again any
any time. The instant that anyone from mission control says the
flight director Leroy CAIN is instructing controllers to follow
contingency procedures. The last communications with the shuttle
Columbia during its descent from orbit at about eight am central time as it
was descending through the atmosphere
At an altitude of about 207,000 ft.
En route to the Kennedy space center florida and *** touchdown that was
anticipated to occur about 2.5 minutes ago. Flight controllers received no
further communications with the spacecraft after about eight a.m.
Central time and no further tracking data from the spacecraft was gained
from C band tracking radar at the Merritt island tracking station in
florida.
Well, there's the update for mission control. The same update we heard ***
few moments ago. They contingency procedures in effect in mission control
require all operators to conserve all their data and uh log books and notes
that have been taken that being instructed by Flight Director Leroy
CAIN
for controllers to begin following those steps and secure all information.
Oh
well, we've got *** first class testing testing page problem on our hands. Um,
as you heard James Hartsfield say 207,000 ft altitude. Was the last that
was seen or heard of the Space Shuttle Columbia in the seven people who are
are or were on board the space shuttle. They are using radar in the Merritt
Island area to look for them. Now,
you know, they when there are 2 200,000 ft altitude and where they were at that
point, Leroy cain has declared *** contingency flight controllers here in
mission control are securing all their information notes and data gathered
from the spacecraft. The last communications with Columbia at eight
am Central time as it was descending toward florida for its landing at that
time about 207,000 ft above central texas, traveling approximately 12,500
MPH, 1,192 mi from its touchdown at Kennedy Space Center.
Now, at that point, I am no communications were received with
Colombia and no tracking data received through the Merritt Island tracking
station. Those efforts made by Dynamics Officer reports, no objects tracked
through that tracking data.
Things stirring around here at the runway. Now, some of the security folks
uh, looks like we got *** van full of, you know, you just you just saw it
looks like that Van is probably full of family members of the astronauts being
driven away
from the runway here? Just got *** glimpse of them as they, as they took
off? You know, here again over central Texas, ft high, going 12,000 miles an
hour. Uh, is the last that that was seen or heard from the space shuttle
Columbia. And you don't really, you've heard James Hartsfield and mission
control say here that they are using radar on Merritt Island here in florida
to try to track the space shuttle to see any objects. Uh, it's *** long way
from here to central texas. Obviously all the way across the gulf of Mexico.
Whether they even got within range of this tracking station, uh, here to be,
to be seen even as uh, as debris or any objects that may be falling through the
air is unknown.
Um, you know, there are
many contingency plans that the astronauts go through when they, when
they practice their landings and they get the best test pilots they can and
was creative, resourceful people that they can, who can, who can bring the
shuttle through trouble
here in this case. You know, you just don't know if if if they ever had ***
chance or if they will ever show up. You know, if I can jump in here for ***
minute, obviously don't want to speculate as to what may have happened.
But as far as the crowds, any crowds that you can see that we're there for
the landing? Are you seeing them reacting at all? Or is there shock? Is
there surprises to them, wondering what could be going on? Well, we're not.
We're starting to see some of the crowd just filter away. Their family members
go back to the press site. Please pack up and go back to the press site.
We are trying to close operations here. We'll go back to the press site.
I think you heard us any questions?