NASA eyes next mission, after successful shuttle landing

Columbia troubles downplayed

March 10, 1996
Web posted at: 12:50 a.m. EST

From Correspondent John Holliman

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The space shuttle Columbia touched down Saturday morning after a one-day delay, ending a 16-day mission that had more than its share of troubles.

The seven astronauts cheered and yelled "All right!" after the shuttle rolled to a safe stop.

"We copy your elation," Mission Control said. "Welcome back."

The landing was postponed until Saturday because of Friday's cloudy skies. An earlier landing Saturday also was scrubbed because of low cloud cover. Columbia landed at Kennedy Space Center just before 9 a.m.

The shuttle had a failed computer circuit, dictating a quick return to Earth, but Columbia had had problems throughout its flight.

They began seconds before the Feb. 22 launch when cockpit instruments indicated a problem with one of the three main engines. It turned out to be a false alarm, but it worried the crew.

"We had a couple of moments there that we got a little adrenaline rush," said shuttle commander Andrew Allen. "I said, 'This looks like a bad simulation run.'"

When the two solid rocket boosters were picked up in the ocean and examined after lift-off, O-rings on both rockets were singed -- it was O-ring damage that caused the Challenger disaster 10 years ago.

Then, three days into the $442 million mission, Columbia lost a $154 million Italian satellite when it snapped its shoelace-thin tether and sailed into its own orbit.

The break came close to the shuttle, eliminating much of the danger, including the possibility that the tether could snap back at Columbia.

Scientists hoped to prove that tethered satellites can generate electricity while sweeping through Earth's magnetic field. Until the split, the tethered satellite had produced up to 3,500 volts of electricity and 1,000 watts of power, confirming, at the very least, scientists' theories.

Still later, during a check of cockpit controls used for landing, the computer failure was discovered. The mission manager decided to ignore a flight safety rule requiring an immediate landing and keep the shuttle in orbit until Florida weather allowed a landing there. The landing relied on backup computers.

Despite its troubles, NASA administrator Daniel Goldin said the failures will not cause long-term problems for the agency.

"Space is tough," Goldin said. "...(T)hese are small failures compared to the failures we could have."

After the astronauts left the Columbia and engineers and investigators began examining the faulty equipment, managers already were turning their attention to the next mission.

Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to lift off for the Russian space station Mir in less than two weeks, weather and equipment permitting.

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