Narrator: When NASA's space shuttle was designed as a reusable vehicle more than 30 years ago,
the spacecraft was not the only part of the high-tech recyclable system.
The twin solid rockets boosters that helped power the shuttle's ascent to space have been
refurbished and used multiple times during the shuttle program.
But to do that, they had to be retrieved from the Atlantic Ocean after each launch.
After burn out, the spent boosters tumble earthward for about 45 miles before parachuting the
final few miles to the water. The job of retrieving these 149-foot-long boosters has fallen to
an elite team of divers aboard the NASA vessels Liberty Star and Freedom Star.
These ships were designed specifically for the task of booster recovery.
Each ship carries a crew of ten and an additional 10-member dive team.
About 24 hours before each launch, the two ships set out to sea from Port Canaveral on
Florida's east coast to be stationed near the zone where the boosters will fall.
Larry Collins, United Space Alliance: "We will plan to arrive on station about four hours
before launch. We have to get there before that so that we can clear the area.
There's a box that we have to keep clear of ships that's close to the impact area."
Narrator: But the divers go to work long before the retrieval even begins.
Larry Collins, United Space Alliance: "Prior to launch we will have all the diver gear ready, all of our camera gear ready,
all the retrieval equipment ready to go.
Narrator: The booster recovery is unlike any other diving job.
Larry Collins, United Space Alliance: "The divers operate the cranes, they operate the small
boats, they operate the reels, they're the diver medics that
operate the recompression chambers, they fill the tanks, they lead the dives, they do the
diving, everybody is doing everything."
Narrator: From their vantage point in the Atlantic, the team is able to spot the boosters
after they fall away from the ascending shuttle, and that's when they spring into action.
Larry Collins, United Space Alliance: "We are not allowed in until after it's cleared. So the
boosters land and we're usually about ... we can be anywhere from 10 to 20 miles away from the
boosters. It can take us about an hour to get to the boosters from where we are."
Narrator: Before beginning the retrieval process, the team conducts a complete visual
inspection. Using still and video photography, imagery of any areas of concern can be sent
back to shore for analysis.
Once the inspection is complete, the divers begin the recovery.
First recovered are the parachutes, which are also recycled for future flights.
Then the frustum and drogue shoots are recovered and brought onboard the ships.
Larry Collins, United Space Alliance: "So the next operation would be to launch the diver operated plug,
which is about 1,400 pounds.
It's not unusual for us to have seven divers on that dive to put the plug in.
So we dive it down, attach an inch-and-a-half air line to that,
and start blowing air into the booster that forces the water out of the booster,
and the booster rises up out of the water and falls over on its side.
We attach an inch-and-a-half steel cable to the booster once it's dewatered and
proceed to tow it back to port."
Narrator: The highly practiced procedure doesn't always go as planned, with the ships and
divers up against weather and sea conditions.
Larry Collins, United Space Alliance: "The roughest mission ... retrieval was probably STS-63.
The conditions were so bad that the boosters were badly damaged,
the nozzles were broken loose, the forward skirts were damaged,
in fact one of them fell off. The conditions were so bad that for many, many days we couldn't
even attempt a recovery."
Narrator: These skilled teams of divers aboard the Freedom Star and Liberty Star completed
their last booster recovery following the launch of Atlantis on the STS-135 mission, as the
space shuttle programs draws to a close. What might have been in their minds during that
final dive?
Larry Collins, United Space Alliance: "You're so busy doing the job, and trying to make sure that the
job is done correctly and that everyone gets home safely that you don?t really have time to